KUALA LUMPUR: Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria has pledged to strengthen collaboration with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) through various programmes to enhance the sports ecosystem in Malaysia and the Asian region.
Norza, who also serves as the OCA vice president for the Southeast Asia Zone, said this aligned with his aspirations upon assuming the position on Sept 8.
“On the same day of my appointment, OCA designated the Academy Badminton Malaysia as a high-performance centre for Asia, specifically to assist developing countries in badminton.
“There will be many more programmes in the pipeline as OCA has always appreciated Malaysia’s capabilities. We will explore other initiatives to empower our sports sector,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after attending the certificate presentation ceremony for the OCA Coaches and Referees Development Programme here today.
A total of 111 participants from 19 Southeast and Central Asian countries attended the five-day programme, which began on Monday (Nov 25), covering sports such as badminton, archery, and swimming.
Mohamad Norza added that similar programmes would continue to be organised with the inclusion of different sports in the future.
“This programme will be ongoing, and I will ensure, with my position in OCA, that we organise more initiatives to further develop referees and coaches in Malaysia,” he said.
