Ismail Sabri must stick to his guns regarding 'the comedy show'

SPORTS Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob wants to send second-liners to the Laos Sea Games while Olympic Council (OCM) of Malaysia secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi is against the idea.

Ismail Sabri (kiri) dan Kok Chi.

Firmly in Kok Chi's corner is Malaysian AAU (MAAU) deputy president Karim Ibrahim who was quoted in a Bernama report yesterday that sending second-liners didn't make sense as they would not be able to compete at that level.

Now, we are not talking about the Asian Games here but the comedy that is the Sea Games which, at best, can only claim to have world class representation in badminton and bowling.

Bowling, along with several other sports, won't even feature in Laos as the Sea Games, with each passing edition, continues to lose its value and strays further from the original target of helping develop world class South East Asian athletes.

Yet Karim, and he is sure to have supporters from several other associations, reckons the Sea Games is of too high a quality to risk sending second-liners.
That is laughable actually for the Sea Games is anything but high class. In fact, several sports -- athletics being one of them -- have limited participation and some events don't even have heats but only finals.

Or could Karim's stand be because he is afraid that MAAU does not have second-liners? The indication is there as most athletics meets, including the Malaysia Open, have limited local entries adding strength to the belief that the sport is dying a painful death in Malaysia.

That has already been seen at the Sea Games where if only Thailand were our rivals before, Vietnam have also overtaken Malaysia in the gold medal tally.

MAAU, however, believes Malaysian athletics is still a major power but Ismail Sabri, rather than getting into a verbal war with Karim and those who share the MAAU deputy president's view, should give his own idea serious consideration.

After all, it is the government which will fund most of what will be spent on the Sea Games and for starters, Ismail Sabri must push for the national rating system to be implemented.

Most associations are against the rating system as they fear government funding will be reduced but if Ismail Sabri is serious about rewarding excellence, it must start with the Sea Games.

Ismail Sabri has already gone on record to say that Laos will not be about a chase for gold medals and he must further reinforce this by rewarding associations who are willing to send second-liners to the Sea Games by providing funding.




Many, if not all, will not meet the OCM's qualification criteria of the last Games and the Sports Ministry must "rescue" these athletes by agreeing to send them. There has to be a qualification criteria -- maybe fifth place from the last Games -- but what it will be is a statement of intent on the government's seriousness in wanting associations to give development the focus it needs.

Already, too many associations are living on borrowed time as the flow of talent to replace current national athletes is a mere trickle and yet, they prefer to send seniors to the Sea Games.

Ismail Sabri can force a change and he must, starting with the Sea Games.