{
  "id": 11139649,
  "title": "Asian Games: Pekan tells Malaysia Aquatics to be ruthless, not sentimental",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/asian-games-pekan-tells-malaysia-aquatics-to-be-ruthless-not",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T07:45:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/10/1545448/asian-games-pekan-tells-malaysia-aquatics-be-ruthless-not-sentimental"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysian diving failed to secure any individual medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games for the first time since 2002, despite winning three diving medals. The nation finished fourth in the medal standings behind Japan, South Korea, and China. Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli has urged Malaysian Aquatics (MAS) to adopt a more ruthless approach when making decisions about senior athletes, rather than being sentimental. He emphasized that the team's mistake has been giving too much importance to senior divers, and that the focus should be on objective assessment using sports science, considering age, physical condition, and the specific demands of diving. Pekan acknowledged the difficulty of decisions when athletes wish to continue competing, but stressed that Malaysia's performance must improve to remain competitive internationally. The analyst suggested that Malaysia could learn from China's approach to athlete development and selection, given the country's dominance in world diving. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics less than two years away, Pekan urged senior divers to assess their feasibility of remaining competitive at the Olympics.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian diving needs to be braver in making difficult decisions on senior athletes and place greater emphasis on sports science to remain competitive at the highest level, said sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli.",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysian diving failed to win individual medals at Asian Games for first time since 2002.",
    "Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli urges MAS to adopt ruthless approach over sentimental decisions."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
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        "published": "2026-10-01T07:12:46.000Z"
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/asian-games-ageing-sepak-takraw-hero-farhan-plans-to-battle-on",
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/qatar-ready-if-2030-asian-games-moved-back-official",
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/qatar-ready-if-2030-asian-games-moved-back-official-11149734",
        "published": "2026-10-01T08:30:35.000Z"
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    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}