OCM plan to set up body to handle high-performance sports for 2024, 2028 Olympics

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 -- The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) plan to set up an organisation comprising the governing body and government agencies that will be responsible for high-performance sports programmes targeted towards the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games.

OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said the organisation would monitor preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

He said the OCM felt that the organisation should be the face of a new short-term and long-term plan that would not be hampered by political instability or any structural changes in the government.

“We consider this as very important if we wish to fulfil our aspirations for the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Games that is endorsed by the OCM,” he told a media conference after the OCM’s second Executive Board meeting for the 2021-2025 term at Wisma OCM here today.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), National Sports Council (NSC), National Sports Institute (NSI) and Ministry of Education (MOE).

He said the proposal, which was made at the meeting, was closely linked to the recently tabled Budget 2022 and also the announcement by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu for the private sector to play a role in contributing towards the development of high-performance sports. 

Meanwhile, Mohamad Norza said the reason why the allocation for high-performance sports programme was not clarified under Budget 2022 could be because the government was ready to accept the latest model to strengthen the programme.

He said that if the programme obtained private sector sponsorship, then surely the return on investment (ROI) would be among the priorities, besides social corporate responsibility (CSR).

"We have to look holistically at an organisation where it is free from adverse political changes, free from bureaucracy and very focused on KPI (key performance indicator) and benchmarking towards standards, so there is no interference so that we can focus on the 2024 and 2028 Olympics.

“The time has come for us to have this outfit, which puts OCM, NSC and NSI and every one of the stakeholders free from interference (despite) whatever happens... rain or shine still focus on middle and long term. I hope this will be considered positively for the benefit of the sports industry itself,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Norza announced that OCM are still awaiting further information from the Organising Committee of the 31st edition of the SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam on the specific dates of Games scheduled to be held next May, adding that the 2022 Commonwealth Games chef de mission meeting would be held in in Birmingham from Jan 24-27 next year.

In another development,  he said today's meeting also agreed to set up a committee to stay in touch with the MOE to include martial arts sports in the list of sports to be contested at the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) level.

He said that martial arts sports had contributed a lot of medals at international multi-sports Games and, as such, hoped that the MOE could add them into the list of sports on the MSSM activity calendar.

-- BERNAMA