KUALA LUMPUR: In its mission to help Malaysian athletes deliver the country’s maiden Olympic gold, the Road To Gold (RTG) Committee has departed for Japan to learn and take a closer look at the equipment and athlete support system in that country.
The Youth and Sports Ministry, in a posting on Facebook, said the delegation led by Minister Hannah Yeoh is now at the Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU) in Tokyo and Yokohama.
“NSSU has an outstanding record of producing world-class athletes and has produced 137 medal winners for the Japanese contingent at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which includes 41 gold medals.
“During the visit, the RTG Committee had the opportunity to meet with the leadership of NSSU, hold a dialogue and a joint press conference. The NSSU is ready to offer cooperation and a support system not only for athletes but for coaches as well,” according to the post.
The ministry said the working visit also discussed the aspect of women in sports and hoped that the cooperation between the two countries could enhance the quality of sports in Malaysia in an effort to win the elusive Olympic gold.
Other committee members participating in the visit are Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, National Sports Institute chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli and RTG coordinator Stuart Ramalingam.
Hannah and Mohamad Norza are the co-chairmen of the RTG committee.
In February, NSC and OCM inked a memorandum of understanding with NSSU which aims to provide opportunities for knowledge sharing and expertise related to sports science and physical education with the university known as Nittaidai.
Malaysia, which has participated in the Summer Olympics since the 1956 edition in Melbourne, has yet to win its first gold, with the best achievement being four silver medals and one bronze medal at the Rio 2016 edition. – BERNAMA
