Lessons from Nagoya will fuel push for SEA Games glory, says Jefri

Malaysia must capitalize on its impressive performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to secure overall victory at the upcoming Malaysia SEA Games, according to National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Jefri Ngadirin. During the Games, the Malaysian team secured nine gold, seven silver, and 16 bronze medals, surpassing their six gold target from the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

Jefri was particularly pleased with the squash squad, which claimed the most gold medals (four) and a bronze, and expressed hope that their success would lead to Malaysia's first-ever Olympic gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Karate also performed exceptionally well, and Jefri anticipates continued medal contributions from the sport in future Asian Games.

However, Jefri emphasized that certain sports, including athletics, archery, shooting, and swimming, need improvement as they could not make a significant impact at the Games. The NSC plans to discuss strategies with the respective sports associations to address these shortcomings and aims to build on the lessons learned from the Asian Games to achieve overall supremacy at the Malaysia SEA Games next year.

Additionally, as hosts of the 2023 SEA Games, Malaysia is optimistic about winning the championship title. Jefri noted that Christian Didier Chin-Aidan Yunus' remarkable performance in the men's padel pair final was a positive sign, as padel will be introduced at the 2023 SEA Games. Furthermore, Malaysia plans to explore opportunities in new sports like surfing, wall climbing, and padel for future Games, given that only 30 of the 43 sports included in the Asian Games were represented by Malaysian athletes.