PUTRAJAYA: National squash queen S. Sivasangari is the latest athlete to agree to join the Road To Gold (RTG) programme in preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).
In addition to Sivasangari, eight badminton players — Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong, Tee Kai Wun, Pearly Tan, M. Thinaah, Cheng Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei — along with weightlifter Mohd Aniq Kasdan and track cyclists Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, have also agreed to join the programme.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, when announcing the RTG list today, said that four professional badminton players — Goh Soon Huat, Shevon Lai Jemie, Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani and Goh Sze Fei — have yet to respond on whether they will join the programme.
“These four players have previously held discussions with RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalinggam.
“But they require a final meeting for us to align on the issues they previously raised,” she said at the RTG press conference at Menara KBS today.
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Hannah also announced that the national women’s recurve archery trio — Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, Syaqiera Mashayikh and Nurul Azreena Fazil — as well as squash player Ng Eain Yow have agreed to join the Fast Track RTG programme.
Hannah said that today she also met with sports associations whose athletes are involved in the RTG programme.
According to her, based on the discussions, almost all the applications received from the sports associations involved requests for exposure to tournaments and additional training to strengthen athletes’ performance.
“Our hope is for all these athletes to remain in the RTG list and continue to improve, because currently they are ranked in the top 10.
“But by 2028, we want to see them in the top four or five, only then will we have a chance to win a gold medal,” she said.
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Meanwhile, Sivasangari said the RTG programme could help improve her performance in her mission to qualify for LA28.
She also said the programme would ease her burden as she is currently training overseas.
“Joining this programme is very important for me because it provides financial support, especially since I am based overseas and preparing for the Olympics.
“All of us are working towards the Olympics, and being part of this programme gives us a major advantage in getting exactly what we need,” she said.
