KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- The demise of Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja'afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman today is a big loss to the sporting fraternity in the country.
Being a passionate cricketer, golfer and tennis player, Tuanku Ja'afar not only contributed immensely to sports but had also coaxed his entire family members to contribute towards sports in the country, earning the accolade of "Royal Sporting Family".
His son Tan Sri Tunku Imran is the President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), President of the Malaysian Cricket Association and former Squash Racket Association of Malaysia and World Squash Federation president.
Tunku Laxamana Tunku Datuk Seri Utama Naquiyuddin is the President of the Malaysia Water Ski Association, Patron of the Malaysian Yachting Association and Negeri Sembilan Squash Rackets Association.
His daughter Tuanku Puteri Tunku Datuk Seri Jawahir is the president of the Malaysian Amateur Ladies Golf Association (MALGA) while another daughter Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Datuk Seri Naquiah is the President of the Negeri Sembilan Women's Football Association.
The Negeri Sembilan ruler and 10th King of Malaysia's involvement in sports started as early as his school days with tennis, badminton and squash among his favourite sports at the Kuala Kangsar Malay College and Nottingham University, England in 1951.
When pursuing his studies in England he had represented Nottingham University in tennis, squash and badminton and also headed the badminton team when he was in Oxford later.
On the local front, he had represented Perak and Negeri Sembilan in cricket and tennis.
So prominent was Tuanku Ja'afar's ability that he was appointed captain of the Perak Malays cricket team that played in the Rulers Shield and won the title in 1952 and 1953.
After retiring from competitive sports, Tuanku Ja'afar was a regular face on golf courses both here and overseas and was also instrumental in the mushrooming of world class golf clubs in Negeri Sembilan.
Tuanku Ja'afar also proved that he was not only a capable sportsman but also an able administrator of sports bodies by taking the president's posts of the Malaysia Malays Cricket Association (MMCA) and becoming the patron of the Negeri Sembilan Cricket Association, a post he held until his demise today.
Under his leadership, MMCA became one of the most efficient associations in the country for developing young cricket players.
MMCA secretary Rosmanizam Abdullah who this morning returned from Sri Lanka expressed shock and grief upon hearing Tuanku Ja'afar's demise.
"He was a great man, an icon in Malaysian sports. It will be simply difficult to replace him or his contributions towards sports, especially to MMCA. He was the driving force behind the association and we are all going to miss him," he told Bernama when contacted here Saturday.
He added that since being elected as President in March 1994, Tuanku Ja'afar had never failed to attend meetings or Annual General Meetings despite his very busy schedule.
"He always had a soft spot for children and to see them develop in the field of sports," said Rosmanizam.
The National Sports Council director general Datuk Zolkples Embong expressed a similar sentiment, attributing him as the man responsible for the development of junior cricket in the country.
Under his leadership MMCA won the Best Junior Cricket Development in Asia award from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2004 while the Tuanku Ja'afar Junior Cricket Academy was also set up in 2000 due to his initiative.
OCM secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi also referred Tuanku Ja'afar as a "King" with a passion for sports and said his absence would be difficult to replace.
Tuanku Ja'afar, 86, who was admitted to the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital (HTJ) in Seremban after complaining of headache and uneasiness, died at 11.45am today.
-- BERNAMA
Saya setuju. We are working on more coaches! “ @ManOlimpik : Malaysian junior athletes are just too ‘lembik’ http://t.co/7D7wmHWaNy ” — Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) June 10, 2014 The benchmark. Can our junior athletes train as hard as Malaysia's world No.1 badminton player, Lee Chong Wei? “IT IS okay lah. The training is not too bad lah. I will try lah … Wah, so hard lah today.” These are some of the common statements I hear from our juniors nowadays. It is not only in badminton. It is the easy-going, laid-back attitude and lack of competitiveness at grassroots level that we have problems producing quality players. I have travelled quite a bit. After ending my decade-long career with the national team, I went to play in the league in Europe. It’s different there. The European athletes know what they want. And they do it with real focus. Even the young ones possess admirable self-control and show a high level of commitment. During my time in the ...
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