PUTRAJAYA: The Road to Gold (RTG) Programme Committee will consider listing promising young track cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri under the RTG initiative’s Fast Track programme at the next meeting, says Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
She said all matters concerning the programme were discussed and decided collectively by the committee.
Hannah, who is also the co-chair of the committee with Tan Sri Mohammad Norza Zakaria, said athletes with the potential to win gold at the Olympic Games were always welcomed to be listed in the RTG programme, not only for the Paris Olympics but also for the 2028 edition in Los Angeles
“So far we have squash and diving in the Fast Track programme, and we will hold a meeting to consider, and look at the criteria because this RTG committee is not only chaired by the minister, it also has co-chairman Tan Sri Norza, and the committee will make the decision.
“For me, my wish is that as many athletes as possible can enter (the RTG programme) because we want more athletes to have the potential to bring back gold medals. It is not an exclusive club, (it’s for) anyone who has potential,“ she said at the Malaysian Motor Sports Association’s (MAM) Hari Raya celebration here, today.
Recently the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) expressed that Nurul Izzah should be included in the Fast Track programme under the RTG initiative after officially qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
MNCF deputy president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said the move would help fully develop the 21-year-old rider’s potential to challenge the world’s best riders at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games (LA28).
In the meantime, Hannah said that for now, the RTG Programme committee was busy preparing for the Games in Paris scheduled to take place from July 26 to Aug 11.
She said the RTG team and the national contingent also regularly held meetings to ensure that the preparations of the national contingent went smoothly for the quadrennial sporting event.
