KUALA LUMPUR: After coming under criticism for poor results at the Thailand SEA Games last December, Malaysia Athletics (MA) has decided to hire 20 coaches — a mix of foreign and local — to improve the standards of its track and field athletes.
This is also in preparation for the 2027 SEA Games which Malaysia will be hosting.
At the 2025 SEA Games, Malaysia won only five golds, five silvers and six bronzes out of the total 47 gold medals at stake.
As the hosts, Malaysia want to be overall champions of the 2027 SEA Games. To achieve this goal, the national track and field athletes need to deliver a veritable number of gold medals.
MA president Karim Ibrahim said today they are moving toward a new platform and seek cooperation from all parties to excel at the 2027 SEA Games.
“We are collaborating with the National Sports Council (NSC) to hire approximately 20 coaches.
“These coaches will be assigned to either the Podium Programme or the Development (Pelapis) Programme.
“So far, we have received nearly 80 applications. MA and NSC will work together to select them.
“Although we have a shortlist, we must wait for the interviews to conclude before assigning them to their respective programmes.
“There are many impressive international applicants. For example, there is a coach from Finland with a hammer throw record of over 78 metres, and another from Germany who has coached world-class athletes. This is beneficial for our athletes like shot putter Jonah Chang and discus thrower Irfan Shamsuddin.
“However, the final selection also depends on the salary scales set by NSC.
“The coaching structure this time will differ from the past because we are looking for results.
“We do not want to waste government funds. We want quality coaches who can produce Podium-level athletes.
“The allocation for the Podium Programme depends on the disciplines we are focusing on for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. It will be a mix of foreign and local coaches. Currently there are 21 athletes in the Podium Programme,” said Karim.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
