Foul!

Pic is the cover of NSC's 2016 Annual Report Fait accompli. That was the message I received from an official who attended the two-day post mortem on the Podium Programme that ended today. To the uninitiated, fait accompli means: Another message I got during the two-day event was: "Why is it even being called a post mortem? A post mortem is an investigation that is done following a death. Is the Podium Programme dead?" Interpretations. Presumptions. Assumptions. It's amazing how the human mind works. And the lack of clarity adds on to the suspense of the true reason why only the Podium Programme (a programme parked under the National Sports Institute), and not our whole sporting eco-system, is being scrutinised. I believe my past articles are self-explanatory - evident that those responsible in elevating the standards of sporting excellence in Malaysia have failed to do so. They should all come under the microscope. And the lack of proper commun...

Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, the former Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary, has written the second part of his mid-term review of the Podium Programme. For the uninitiated, Kok Chi - a former engineer with the Irrigation and Drainage Department of Malaysia and represented the country in water polo - has served Malaysian sports for decades, mainly through OCM. Here are his views, as emailed to Foul! minutes ago: Mid term review of the Podium Programme - Part II After publishing my review of the Podium Programme , I received many views, comments and requests for clarifications, which I feel I should respond. The main questions asked were as follows: What was the actual budget and how much had been spent and on what? Why was Podium Program staff paid higher salaries than other the National Sports Institute (NSI) and National Sports Council (NSC) staff? With regards to the workshop on the Podium Programme scheduled Sept 13 and 14 20...

Image: National Sports Council, Malaysia Let's look at the newspaper reports since the Podium Programme was launched in 2016. Feb 2, 2016 Podium Programme takes off with aim to win 2020 Olympics gold (The Star) "The ambitious programme will involve 97 athletes and 36 coaches from 21 sports. All in, the Government will spend RM75mil this year." Oct 22, 2016 RM1.2b for sports development  (Daily Express) "In addition, a sum of RM70 million has also been allocated for the Elite Sports Podium Development Programme to prepare athletes for international sports events." Sept 5, 2018 Podium safe for now Minister says it would be an injustice to axe Podium Programme  (The Star) "In comparison, Malaysia only spent a total of RM170mil on the Podium Programme since it was launched in 2016. The National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Dr Khairi Zawi chipped in and said: “The RM170mil is spent for training, competitions ...

Nadi Arena Analisis Sukan Asia Jakarta-Palembang 2018 producer Lukman Salleh and I were searching for information regarding the Podium Programme on the National Sports Institute (NSI) website. And we couldn't find anything. After my show on Astro Arena (live 9pm-10pm daily till Sept 2 on channel 800 and 803HD), I tried visiting NSI's website again and still can't seem to find any info regarding the Podium Programme, unlike before. We tried clicking under Info Korporat followed by ' Program Podium ' (listed under the 'Bahagian' section) and were redirected to the landing page instead. Thankfully I have screened shot information regarding the Podium Programme's objectives, as documented in my previous articles: April 15, 2018: Walk the talk April 17, 2018: Sports programme galore - success of waste of tax payers' money? It's baffling that such crucial information is 'missing' from the website. It gives...

Azim Zabidi (Twitter: @Azim_Zabidi)  Phones are ringing within the circle as conversations zero in on one question: Why was Datuk Seri Azim Zabidi  nominated for the FA of Malaysia (FAM) president's post? Also, why Azim - already wearing several important hats - is considering the opportunity to sit in FAM, a national body that requires a major overhaul. Utusan Malaysia quoted Azim as saying: “Sebelum ini PBNP (Pahang FA) ada menyua­rakan perkara ini kepada saya dan pada mulanya saya menolak kerana merasakan keadaan tidak sesuai tetapi selepas itu mereka mahu mencalonkan saya, saya kata nak calonkan tidak menjadi masalah dan saya berterima kasih kepada Tengku Muda Pahang, Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah di atas kepercayaan ini. “Bukan Pahang sahaja, ada beberapa negeri lain turut menyatakan sokongan tetapi saya perlu berjumpa dengan ahli gabungan lain bagi melihat sokongan mereka, sekiranya tidak begitu kuat, saya fikir lebih baik tidak perlu (bertan­ding). ...

Let’s take a look at some of the sports programmes we have had since the 90s.  At least five were listed on the National Sports Council’s website: Here are some of the more "popular" programmes: i.                   Jaya 98                           Launched in 1993, the Jaya 98 programme set the tone for numerous sports including diving, gymnastics and weightlifting, allowing them to grow and mould talents who were title contenders.. The architect behind the programme was Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad .  ii.                  Asiacomm This was what The Star’s Rajes Paul wrote in 2006 : TWO heads, they say, are better than one. And that's a maxim that's has been taken to heart in Malaysian sports.  Take, for instance, AsiaComm – a multi-million ringgit ...

I was informed the Chef de Mission Huang Yin How and Podium Programme director Tim Newenham will be having a press conference regarding the national contingent's performance at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast this morning (about 9am Malaysian time). If I were to be in Gold Coast, here are some of the questions I would ask these two gentlemen, and other stakeholders who would be present: 1. Can the CDM reveal the number of officials in Gold Coast and their roles there? 2.  How much has been allocated and spent (salaries, data collection, etc) on the Podium Programme since 2016? 3. We had the Jaya 98 programme. How different is the Podium Programme (and even Kita Juara) compared to that? Why can't we carry on with how Jaya 98 was carried out but make it relevant to today's challenges? 4. How many resignations and terminations were seen in the National Sports Institute over the last two years? Were exit interviews carried out? What were the mai...

(L-R): The writer, Rizal Hashim and Analisis Nadi host Bazly Azmi. THE knives are out and in typical fashion the blame game begins as Malaysia ends its forgettable outing at the just concluded Commonwealth Games with seven gold, five silver and 12 bronze medals. First to bear the brunt would be Tim Newenham and Co.  The Podium Programme director is well aware of the objective set by his team, which was formally introduced on Feb 22, 2016; that is to be in the “Top 10 in Gold Coast 2018”, as stated on the National Sports Institute (NSI) website. Podium Programme's objectives as state on NSI's website Despite the bullish objective, officials kept mum over their expectations in Australia up until the eleventh hour simply because they had confidence in only a handful, literally speaking, of athletes winning their respective events. The nation’s best achievement is at the 2010 Delhi Games with 12 gold medals, 10 silver and 14 bronze medals. For the reco...

A magical sight was seen at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday as KL2017 ended with Malaysia finishing as overall champions. - Bernama 145 gold medals. It's the best Team Malaysia has ever achieved since the inception of the SEAP Games in1959. The 29th edition of the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur ended yesterday. The opening ceremony dazzled those at the stands and viewers at home while the performances during the closing ceremony yesterday jogged plenty of musical memories to many. Our athletes, the real superheroes, brought smiles through their heroic display. They made everyday a happy day. A majestic shot of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin by Ghazali Kori (Harian Metro). Kudos to the officials - from the coaches, the National Sports Institute and National Sports Council - for their hard work in ensuring our athletes perform to their best. But it was not all memorable. From 16 athletes downed with food poisoning to a bus driver being caugh...