Athletes urged not to give up
Published on: Friday, December 06, 2013
Kuala Lumpur: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has urged athletes to the Myanmar SEA Games not to give up and overcome difficulties as their families and 28 million Malaysians are banking on them to succeed."Let other countries see our contingent with the Harimau strip as serious contenders. After leaving the field, swimming pool or tennis court, they know that they have met the SEA Games champion," he said after handing over the Jalur Gemilang at the National Sports Council, here Thursday.Khairy believed that the Malaysian contingent to the Myanmar SEA Games would achieve much success.
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"After training so hard, I'm sure the result will come naturally," he said, reminding the athletes to maintain discipline while at the biennial games.At the ceremony, Khairy handed the Jalur Gemilang to the Malaysian contingent flag bearer, bodybuilder Sazali Abdul Samad.Meanwhile, Sazali said he is optimistic that the batch of young athletes would try their best to at least bring home a bronze medal."Our job in Myanmar is not easy as we need to make the 40 gold medals target a reality. I believe all the athletes are ready don't want their focus to be disrupted by security issues."
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The Malaysian contingent comprising 556 athletes and 242 officials will compete in 29 of the 33 events in Myanmar.The Myanmar SEA Games from Dec 11 to 22 is held in the districts of Naypyitaw, Yangon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung.
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In NAYPYITAW, the national Chinlone squad continued to be the main medal contributor on the second day of the 27th SEA Games when they collected two more bronze medals at the Wunna Theikdi C Indoor Stadium near here Thursday. The two bronze medals were delivered by the men's and women's teams for level two. The national men's team shared the bronze medal with Laos after collecting 188 points. The gold was won by Thailand with 256 points while the silver went to Cambodia who garnered 236 points. The other bronze was contributed by the women's team with 110 points. Thailand with 202 points took the gold and Laos won the silver. National men's squad coach, Nurudin Pawi said he was satisfied with four bronze medals won so far. Nurudin said there was still a chance for the national Chinlone squads to deliver even better medals but the teams needed to play better and commit less mistakes. Meanwhile, the floorball squad proved they are among the best in Southeast Asia when they clinched both the men's and women's team silver medal in the final at the Wunna Theikdi C Indoor Stadium near here Thursday.The hopes of the national men floorball squad of becoming the champions were dashed when they were beaten 1-11 by Singapore which is a floorball powerhouse in the region. The bronze medal went to Indonesia.The women's squad also faced a similar fate when they lost 1-6 to Singapore in the final while Indonesia also took the bronze.As floorball was introduced as a demonstration sports, the collection of medals will not be counted in the medal tally.The sport, which originated from Sweden, however, will be a competitive sport in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.National floorball coach, Rizal Razman said the two silver victory was considered an achievement as it was the first time the sport was featured in the biennial games.Razman said he hoped the sport which has been played in Malaysia for almost 10 years would receive more support after this."We need assistance from sports bodies to develop floorball in the country.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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