MALAYSIAN PREVIOUS PARTICIPATION IN ASIAN GAMES

Malaysian contingent for the 3rd Asian Games Tokyo 1958

Malaysia has been participating in the Asian Games since 1958. The 3rd Asian Games held in Tokyo, Japan in 1958 was the starting point for our involvement in the Asian Games. The subsequent participation soon follow with the 4th Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 24 August to 4 September, 1962 onwards until the coming 13th Asian Games to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 6 to 20 December, 1998.

In the last Asian Games, which is 13^th Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, the Olympic Council of Malaysia had send about 210 athletes and officials to take part in 18 of the 34 sports at the XIIIth Asian Games in Bangkok on December 6 – 20, 1998. Their participation is expected to cost the OCM more than RM 800,000.

Competing against Asian powerhouses China, Japan, South Korea, the Central Asian republics and the stronger Arab countries, Malaysia has set a modest target of four gold medals, the same number that we won at the last Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994.

Expectations of a better than Hiroshima performance by the Malaysians are based on the 10 gold medals that they won at the recent Commonwealth Games. All the gold medallists are going to the Asian Games.

Malaysia @ Olympic Games

Prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council in 1953 and its subsequent recognition by the IOC in 1954, some Malayans may have participated in the Olympic Games, representing their countries of origin, such as China and India. After receiving the recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1954, the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council, as it was then known, sent a contingent of 33 athletes from 6 sports to participate in the Olympic Games in 1956 in Melbourne. Since then the Olympic Council of Malaysia, as it is known since 1964, has been participating in all the Olympic Games, except the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

The Olympic Contingent of the Federation of Malaya to the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games comprised six athletes, two swimmers, 18 Hockey players, three Weightlifters and four shooters. There was only one female athlete in the Contingent, Ms. Annie Choong, who participated in Athletics. Amongst the Olympians were Koh Eng Tong, the 1950 British Empire Weightlifting gold medallist in the Featherweight Division and Tan Kim Bee, the silver medallist in the Light Heavyweight Division. The Hockey team finished 9th out of 12 teams. The Chef de Mission was Mr. H.M. De Souza (Hockey) and the Flag Bearer was Tan Eng Bee (Weightlifting)

Malaya Contingent in 1956 Olympic Games, Melbourne

OLYMPIC COUNCIL MALAYSIA

In 1950, 4 weigh-lifters from Malaya (as Malaysia was then known) participated in the Empire Games in Auckland under the Union Jack. They won 2 gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.

3 years later, 2 National Sport Association – for Hockey and Athletics – met on 15 August 1953, and decided to form a National Olympic Committee, so that Malaya could participate in Multi - sports events like the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Empire Games, under her own name and using her own flag.

On 13 November 1953, the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council (FMOC) the forerunner to the Olympic Council of Malaysia was registered under the Societies Act as a volunteer based, non-profit and non-government organization.

The FMOC held its first meeting on 24 April 1954, attended by 3 representatives from Hockey and 4 from Athletics. The Malayan Bore Rifle Association sent an observer. The FMOC then invited all National Sport Associations to become members so that they could participate in multi – sports events.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized the FMOC on 26 May 1954, just in time for Malaya to participate in the 2^nd Asian Games in Manila. Malaya send 8 athletes and 2 years later in 1956, Malaya sent 33 athletes to the Olympic Games in Melbourne. Although the athlete did not make any great impression on these Games but they introduced Malaya to the international community as a sporting nation of promising champion.

With the formation of Malaysia, the FMOC changed its name to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) at its EGM held on 5^th May 1964. In April 1972, its name was translated into Bahasa Malaysia and the OCM also became known as “Majlis Olimpik Malaysia” (MOM).