NSC to review four medal-less sports after Asiad failure

The National Sports Council (NSC) is set to review athletics, swimming, archery, and shooting following their failure to secure any medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said a joint evaluation with the respective associations and coaching teams is necessary to pinpoint the shortcomings that hindered athletes from mounting a stronger challenge at the Games.

While these sports have the potential to compete at a higher level, Jefri emphasized the need to reassess planning and identify measures to boost their competitiveness. The fact that athletes achieved success at the Southeast Asian Games but faltered at the Asian Games underscores the need to address existing gaps. Jefri stressed that all support, assistance, and planning should be coordinated with associations and coaches to help athletes reach a higher level.

He also pointed out the disparity in competitive standards, particularly in swimming, where national swimmers need to strengthen their performances at the SEA Games level before pursuing Asian Games podium opportunities. In athletics, the failure should not be seen solely as a medal-less outing but should prompt concrete action for future Games, including improvements in training, association management, and coaching.

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali highlighted the need for increased competition exposure, better equipment, and enhanced coaching, especially in archery and shooting. He noted that while the country possesses potential in these sports, there is room for improvement in terms of equipment, coaches, and competition exposure.

Nasir stressed the importance of effective association management to ensure systematic athlete development, especially in sports that failed to meet their targets. He also emphasized the need to set more realistic targets for athletics to restore its competitiveness on the Asian stage.