Vijesh Rai
rai@nst.com.my
GOOD times are, thanks to the RM30 million allocation announced in Friday's budget, set to roll again for national associations.
Programmes that were halted when funding was reduced a couple of years ago will resume with National Sports Council director general Datuk Zolkples Embong yesterday announcing that focus will be on producing potential medal winners for the 2016 Olympics.
The 19 identified as core sports, which basically means having the ability to win at the world and Asian levels, are set to be the biggest beneficiaries.
Of the 19, some definitely deserve all the help they can get with bowling, despite not being an Olympic sport, being one of a very select few.
The Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) felt aggrieved, and rightfully so, when it was asked to discontinue its back-up programme a while back as it is one sport that does not lack quality athletes coming through the ranks.
The Olympics, however, are what Malaysians are fixated on and with Lee Chong Wei just about the only hope for gold in next year's edition in London, sights have already been set on the 2016 Games in Rio.
The athletes have mostly been identified and it is now a matter of getting them ready for the Rio challenge.
However, NSC and the associations must learn from the experiences of the past and ensure that the programme achieves its targets come 2016.
The associations must play an active role for far too many programmes of the past didn't achieve what they set out to do as the associations preferred to sit back and let NSC lead.
And when limited or no success was achieved, NSC was blamed for interfering when all it actually tried to was produce athletes capable of excelling on the international stage.
One such programme that has, undoubtedly, produced the desired results is diving and the emergence of young divers with potential is proof that NSC's partnership with national associations can work if politics are kept out of the equation.
This is exactly what all the associations must strive to do for bickering is not going to get Malaysians on the winners' podium come 2016.
Only hard work and full commitment will and neither must there be fear in dropping athletes if they do not have the quality to carry the challenge.
A thorough review needs to be conducted yearly and this must include all parties -- be it the NSC's project officers, association representatives, administrators, coaches and athletes.
Losses must be cut as quickly as possible and any component that is not working should be replaced immediately for second chances are not something Malaysian sport can expect anymore, not after having enjoyed so many privileges for nearly two decades.
More importantly, the sports fraternity must be mindful of one key element -- government funding can be taken away as quickly as it was granted.
Failure come 2016 could well see that happen and this is all the more reason why the problems of the past must not recur in the push for Olympic excellence in 2016.
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