THE Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has affirmed its commitment to implementing a more realistic and athlete-friendly approach for setting national medal targets, in line with recommendations from international experts and internal analysis.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the decision to no longer set medal targets based on colour, including for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, was made after reviewing performance data, conducting a post-mortem of previous championships, and holding discussions with Japanese coaching expert, Professor Masamitsu Ito from the Nippon Sports Science University.
“What we’re saying is that when the National Sports Council (NSC) releases its medal targets, it’s for the total number of medals. The difference now is that we won’t say, ‘Okay, Toh Ee Wei, you have to bring back a gold medal only.
“We won’t accept a silver medal. We are not specifying a colour. We are talking about the total medals. This is so that all athletes, as per our post-mortem for the Asian Games, feel their contribution is valued, even if it’s a bronze medal,“ she said.
She made these remarks to reporters after the closing ceremony of The Coach Developer Programme: A Holistic Approach to Coaching Growth.
Hannah said experts revealed that an overemphasis on medal colour creates unnecessary pressure. She wants all athletes to feel their contributions are appreciated, whether they are gold, silver, or bronze. Data also shows that this approach helps them maintain focus and motivation.
She added that this is the official stance of the National Sports Council, ISN, and KBS, even if some sports associations may announce their own specific targets ahead of a championship or games.
“If we’ve signed an MoU with an expert and the expert has advised us, but I don’t want to listen to the expert and just say this is a tradition, so we’ll continue the tradition, it’s not helpful. So if we genuinely want to listen to expert advice, there is now consistency where the Nippon Sport Science University comes with the National Sports Institute every year to empower our coaches,“ she said.
Meanwhile, Masamitsu said the move is aimed at reducing pressure on the national athletes.
“... every athlete, every coach, without saying, we are always looking to win. We are fighting for the better. And the society and some other organisations, we just need to support them. Make them fight. So that’s the reason we don’t say any medal counts and so on. Yep. That’s the reason we suggest we don’t say any numbers about the medal counts,“ he said.
Additionally, Hannah also announced efforts to empower coaches through continuity programmes under ISN, including a proposal to establish a registration for certified coaches and special licenses within five years. - Bernama
