Now, add both numbers and you will get nine – that’s the exact number of gold medals that Malaysia are targeting for at the Asian Games in Guangzhou from Nov 12-27.
Kok Chi, one of the longest-serving and highly respected Malaysian officials, will be attending his 11th straight Asiad and he is looking forward to seeing Malaysian athletes enjoy their best-ever outing.
“I have attended every Asian Games since 1970. I have certainly seen the Games evolve,” said Kok Chi yesterday.
“I was in the water polo team as an athlete in the 1970 Bangkok Games. After that, I have attended all the other Games as an official.
“The host always goes the extra mile to make the Games a successful one.
“One aspect that has changed drastically is security, which is given more emphasis now.
“The two Games that remind me of tight security before were the Teheran (1974) and Beijing (1990) Asiads for political reasons.
“The most memorable one for me was the 1998 Hiroshima Games. It was well organised and I enjoyed the atmosphere and camaraderie among the participating teams.
“Guangzhou has done a great job so far.
“It has been quite accommodating and has even entertained our request to replace injured athletes.”
Kok Chi also noted that the standard among Malaysian athletes had improved.
“I have seen the Games grow. Malaysia now has the biggest number of representation and we can look forward to winning medals in more than just one or two sports,” he said.
“Our contingent is well prepared. Due to our focus in excelling at the Asian and Olympic Games, the standard of our athletes has also improved”.
Malaysia will be represented by 333 athletes and 144 officials and will be led by chef-de-mission Datuk Zolkples Embong, who is also the National Sports Council (NSC) director general.
Kok Chi said that the Games should be a time of celebration for the athletes – irrespective of whether they win a medal or not.
“This is an opportunity for the athletes to use it as a platform to showcase their best.
“For some, it could translate into medals while for others it could be about achieving their personal bests,” he said.
“I am confident that the nine-gold medal target is achievable. A total of five gold medals should come from squash and cycling although I hope our cyclists will not underestimate their rivals from China and Japan.
“We can hope for others in bowling, karate, wushu and badminton to deliver as well.
“If our athletes can raise the bar, I will not be surprised if we can surpass our target.”
And that, probably, must have been his birthday wish.
The Star
No comments:
Post a Comment