THE Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) has approved requests by national squash athletes under the Road to Gold (RTG) Fast Track programme in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the United States.
Its minister, Hannah Yeoh said the requests include specific coaching assistance, training and rehabilitation equipment as well as medical support and sport science services that will be prepared immediately, along with training abroad and technical expertise services for Ng Eain Yow, S Sivasangari, Aifa Azman and Aira Azman.
“Sivasangari, who will be based in Ithaca, New York, will undergo training under David Palmer, as personal coach and obtain the services of physical coach Mark Burn. She will at the same time, receive sports science and medical support services at her training centre and the National Sports Institute (ISN).
“Eain Yow has chosen to train in Msquash Norwalk, Connecticut under coach Shaun Moxham and will undergo centralise training in Cairo, Egypt,“ she said in a media conference at the National Sports Council (NSC) here today, adding that sisters Aira and Aifa will be focused more on attending centralised training in Kuala Lumpur with coach Andrew Sam Cross and will attend an attachment programme periodically in Pontefract, the United Kingdom.
“Both of them will be assisted by a physical coach and their physical performance will be monitored by the ISN.
“All the athletes have their targets that they need to achieve each year, including raising their world rankings and winning medals at the Asian Games and the 2026 Commonwealth Games,” Hannah said, adding that the athletes must participate in 16 to 20 Professional Squash Association World Tour events, compared to 10 previously.
The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) president Gerard Monteiro described the initiative by the KBS as an effort that will add value to the athletes in the four years before the Olympics takes place.
“This is an excellent news for us at SRAM and mainly athletes. This time Sivasangari and Eain Yow know the funding is there for them to commit with their coaches the time they need to prepare for upcoming season.
“They can keep their ranking points as well as move (up) quicker in World Ranking,“ he added.
