Sportcheck: Massive changes on the way

30 Dec 2006
IT is not only just about the revamp of sports schools. The entire face of sports development in the country is about to be transformed into a more effective national machinery that will produce world beaters from Malaysian children.Or at least, that is how an optimistic National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz sees the setting up of the joint committee for the management of sports schools.The idea, said Dr Ramlan, is to formulate a system, not just in infrastructure, that would fuel the expansion of all areas significant to elite programmes and make it available to athletes in development programmes."This means the quality of services such as sports science and sports medicine must be the same at Federal and State level. The dimension has to change," said Dr Ramlan.Dr Ramlan was elaborating on the proposed joint committee to manage sports schools which brings together the Sports and Education Ministries, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the NSC.A proposal to have a sports school in each State has been approved by the Cabinet Committee for Sports, and the Government will begin by setting up three sports schools in Perlis, Kuantan and Kota Kinabalu next year."It should no longer be just schools where students are involved in sports. If we want them to be world class athletes, we should be treating them like world class athletes from the beginning," said Dr Ramlan.The National Sports Institute (NSI), said Dr Ramlan, has already begun spreading its wings in view of future requirements, having started the first phase in the setting up of satellite centres in each State.The Education Ministry has also agreed for a NSI satellite centre to be set up at the Bandar Penawar Sports School, which will be the centre for south Johor."We’re also starting to talk to universities to see whether, apart from their expertise in research, can they provide services for athletes," said Dr Ramlan."Currently, only those in the Bukit Jalil Sports School have the opportunity to receive sports science services because of their proximity to the NSI."There are shortcomings in the current system and they are being addressed in the new plan. One of the ideas behind having the sports schools is to have the young athletes close to those who will influence good character, like parents."By having sports schools and facilities in each State, we don’t have to take the young children away from their parents for long periods of time, but still be able to provide them with the necessary development."