Tunku Imran: Step up, aim for higher achievements at Asian, World levels
Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) Tunku Imran’s Year End Message
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| Tunku Imran and OCM secretary general Datuk Low Beng Choo. - Picture from The Sun Daily |
Another year has almost come to an end.
2017 has seen exciting times for Malaysian sport as
in every year, but this year has been extra special as Malaysia hosted the 29th
Southeast Asian Games, after a break of 16 years.
It was an even grander affair as the Games coincided
with Malaysia’s 60th Independence Day.
I must congratulate all parties for making these
Games a huge success starting from the Ministry of Sports headed by the dynamic
Brig. Gen. Khairy Jamaluddin, who was also the chairman of the Malaysia
SEA Games Organising
Committee (MASOC), additionally the National Sports
Council (NSC), National Sports Institute, the National Associations, coaches,
officials and more importantly the athletes themselves.
Through the Kita
Juara programme, the Malaysian contingent was well prepared and went on to
supercede all expectations with a total haul of 145 gold, 92 silver and 86
bronze medals.
With a total count of 323 medals, this is Malaysia's
best-ever finish in the history of the SEA Games.
While we all applaud our gold medal winners, we at
Olympic Council of Malaysia, have always maintained that we credit and
acknowledge all medallists in all multi-sport Games.
Although official medal tables rank those countries
with more gold medals higher, even though the total medal tally is less, we
maintain that every medal won is an achievement and should be honoured as in
the case of personal best performances or national records, even if the athlete
did not win a medal. With this remarkable achievement under our belt, we cannot
rest on our laurels or be content. It is
now time to use the SEA Games platform to step up and aim for higher achievements
at the Asian and World levels.
2018 is going to be an even more hectic period for
Malaysian sports, with the
XXI Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in
April and the 18th Jakarta-
Palembang Asian Games in August. We also have the XXIII Olympic Winter Games
in PyeongChang in February, where Malaysia has made history with a
qualification in the Men’s Figure Skating competition by Julian Yee.
Additionally, the Youth Olympic Games will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.
Besides the SEA Games, 2017 saw Malaysia participate
in in the 8th Asian Winter
Games in Sapporo, Japan in February, 4th
Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku , Azerbaijan in May, V Commonwealth Youth
Games in Nassau, Bahamas in July and 5th Asian Indoor & Martial
Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in September.
OCM has also been busy in organising IOC Relations
& Olympic Solidarity Relations and international related events like the
Olympic Day 2017 in June, attending the Advance Women in Leadership Forum for Africa
and Asia in August, nominating the recipient for the IOC Trophy whose theme for
this year is “Sport Beyond Borders” with SportsUnite as the recipient, and also
organising the Advanced Sports Management Course (ASMC), Basic Sports
Administrators’ Courses (SAC) as well as the National Olympic Academy Sessions.
The year culminated with the 24th OCM
Annual Dinner and Awards Night on Dec 7th at the Tan Sri Hamzah Arena at Wisma
OCM, with the awarding of the IOC trophy for ‘Sport Beyond Borders’, Diplomas
for the IOC Women and Sport Achievement 2016 and 2017, OCM Women and Sports
trophies for 2016 & 2017, Olympian of the Year for 2016 and 2017, and the
new induction for 2016 and 2017 to the OCM Hall of Fame.
Indeed it has been a busy and generally fruitful
year, with NSAs continuing to work hard to raise the bar for their respective
sports.
It is important that NSAs pay emphasis to grassroots
development of their respective sports and give ample opportunity for their
young athletes to compete in tournaments, gain useful experience and receive
the best training possible, for they are the future of Malaysian sports.
NSAs have to make an extra effort to stand on their
own feet and keep up with the professional era to ensure that their
organisations are well managed with the interest of athletes always at the
heart.
2018 will see the election of a new President and
Board Members for OCM. I hope that all
those who love sport will give the incoming management all the support and
assistance that they have given me during the last 19 years or so.
Sport will always be an important part of the
fabric of life in Malaysia and also a catalyst for continuing harmony.
I wish one and all a truly Happy New Year and a
successful 2018.
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