Khairy: Malaysia targets 56% of medals in Sea Games

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian contingent to the 28th SEA Games in Singapore is aiming to achieve 56% of medals in the fields participated, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pix).
During the hand-over ceremony of the national flag to the contingent, Khairy said the SEA Games ought to be viewed as a platform for young athletes to test their mettle.
"Considering that during the last SEA Games our contingent obtained 55.6%, the 56% is regardless of the medal's colour, be it bronze, silver or gold."
Khairy was firm on zero-tolerance towards misbehaviour on the part of athletes, stating "we will take action against the individual if it arises."
He urged the contingent not to just strive for excellence alone, but also to uphold the honour of Malaysia and her people.
"My philosophy is, if you do your best, everything else will follow."
During the press conference, Khairy introduced Keith Power, the new coordinator for the national sports program on a two-year contract with Malaysia.
The 49-year old Power, formerly a high sports instructor at University of California Berkley and the youngest national team coach (Great Britain) in Olympics history, stated he plans to listen and learn about Malaysian culture and sports for the first few months.
"The important thing is to have a high performance mindset. By October or so we can look at ways to make some improvements," he said, adding it was not just about short term goals, but also focusing on the processes.
"Any performance in any sport is basically made up of five key factors - required skills, tactics, awareness, physical fitness, and mental toughness. At the top of these is the high performance mindset," he said.
"Unless we create the right environment for them to be the best they can be, the five factors doesn't get maximised," he added.