Economic progress spoiling our athletes

04/04/2003

MALAYSIAN athletes of today have everything at their doorstep but despite
that, their performances at international meetings are still incomparable
to the achievements of athletes of yesteryear. Why?
This question was posed by The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad Group
Editor-In-Chief Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad at a nasi bungkus dialogue session
with the top brass of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), president
Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja'afar, deputy president Datuk M. Jegathesan
and secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi at Balai Berita yesterday.
Abdullah who chaired the session was perplexed as to why "when the
athletes were poor and received less incentives, they had achieved a lot
more than the athletes of today who are enjoying better rewards and higher
incentives."
"When (Datuk) Ghani Minhat and Wong Peng Soon were at their prime, they
received little monetary rewards but are still remembered for their
achievements while the athletes of today have everything but are still
lagging," stated Abdullah.
Replying to Abdullah, Dr. Jegathesan said the advancement of technology
played a big part in this.
"When I was running, there was little to do as we did not even have
television sets. We had all the time in the world to train hard without
any distractions. Life was very simple," said Dr. Jegathesan.
"But today, the youngsters have shopping malls, computers, satellite
television and other forms of entertainment which takes up most of their
spare time."
He also felt that the schools have neglected sports, and sports rivalry
among schools and States is almost non-existent.
"Back in my days, every child will be out playing one sport or another
in the evenings. Parents found it almost impossible to stop them from
running out of homes for sport in the evenings. Every available patch in
housing estates were turned into a sporting arena.
"And when in school, it was compulsory to take part in sports, and those
who were not good at it, were simply asked to run around the field.
"But today, schools no longer put emphasis on sports. It has shifted to
education because every parent wants their children to secure a
professional future," said Dr. Jegathesan.
He also felt that teachers and headmasters are no longer motivated
enough to make sure sports thrive at grassroots.
"Headmasters used to be the driving force in schools sports success. But
today, when one drives around during the weekend, school fields are
deserted as no activities are planned for students to excel in sports.
"That is why I feel that even though athletes receive more money and
attention with very good facilities around, the distractions are just too
great," concluded Dr. Jegathesan.
(END)