Tahniah! Datuk Santokh Singh

Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah conferring the ‘Darjah Datuk Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’ award, which carries the title ‘Datuk’, on former national footballer Datuk Santokh Singh at Istana Alam Shah in Klang yesterday

PM Hails Nicol David As Malaysia's Most Successful Sports Icon

Nicol David showing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak her World Open trophy at his office in Putrajaya yesterday. Bernama pic

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hailed national squash queen Datuk Nicol Ann David on Monday as the country's most successful sports icon, saying her ability to defend the world title for six consecutive years is unmatched.

Speaking to reporters after receiving a courtesy call by the World No. 1 squash player at his office here, Najib expressed the hope that her success would spur other athletes to similarly excel in their respective sports.

"On behalf of the government and the people Malaysia, I would like to extend heartiest congratulations to Nicol," he said.

Present were Nicol's parents, Desmond David and Anne Marie David, as well as CIMP Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Nazir Razak.

"Nicol should be made a role model because she is the most successful sports icon in our country's history," he said.

He wished Nicol all the best and more success in the future, and said that it would set a high benchmark for the country's sports, especially in squash.

Nicol described the meeting with the prime minister as a truly meaningful event for her and her parents.

"It was a great honour for me and family to get the recognition from the government and Malaysians. Thank you for the all support," she said.

Nicol wajar dijulang tokoh sukan

Nicol David bersama dengan ibu bapanya, Ann Marie dan Desmond David memegang trofi Kejohanan Skuasy Piala Dunia yang mana tercatat nama beliau sebanyak enam kali sebagai pemenang selepas pertemuan dengan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak di Pejabat Perdana Menteri, Putrajaya, semalam. - BERNAMA

PUTRAJAYA - Ratu skuasy negara Datuk Nicol Ann David wajar dijulang sebagai tokoh sukan paling berjaya dalam sejarah negara apabila mampu mempertahankan gelaran Pemain Terbaik Dunia sebanyak enam kali berturut-turut, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Perdana Menteri berkata, kejayaan yang dicapai Nicol itu adalah satu pencapaian yang belum pernah dicapai oleh sesiapa dalam sejarah negara.

"Saya bagi pihak kerajaan dan rakyat Malaysia ingin mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi tahniah kepada Nicol," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menerima kunjungan pemain No. 1 dunia itu di pejabat beliau di sini, semalam.

Turut hadir ayah dan ibu Nicol, Desmond David dan Anne Marie David serta Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan CIMB Datuk Seri Nazir Razak.
Najib berkata, diharapkan kejayaan Nicol itu, akan menjadi pendorong serta penguat semangat kepada atlet sukan bukan sahaja dalam arena skuasy tetapi juga sukan lain.

"Nicol juga patut dijadikan contoh ikutan, beliau merupakan seorang ikon sukan yang paling berjaya dalam sejarah negara kita," katanya.

"Diharapkan Nicol akan terus mencipta kejayaan yang lebih cemerlang pada masa akan datang, seterusnya meletakkan satu penanda aras yang tinggi untuk sukan negara terutamanya skuasy, kata beliau.
Sementara Nicol berkata, pertemuan dengan Perdana Menteri hari ini, merupakan satu peluang yang amat bermakna buat diri dan kedua-dua ibu bapanya.

"Ia adalah satu penghormatan untuk saya dan keluarga untuk mendapatkan pengiktirafan daripada kerajaan dan rakyat Malaysia, terima kasih atas segala sokongan," katanya. - Bernama

Aaliyah creates SEA Games history

Malaysia's eight-year-old Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah created waves at the Jakabaring Lake here when she grabbed gold in the women's tricks category at the 26th SEA Games today (17/11/11), becoming the youngest athlete to ever win a gold medal in the history of the games.

She skiied confidently through her first round routine, scoring 2,810 points, and nailed a one-leg trick in the second round to earn 2,960 points.

Being much shorter and smaller than the other contestants, her appearance at the lake had drawn attention from spectators and the media.

Aaliyah said she felt excited to win the gold medal for Malaysia.

"I was confident all the way. I almost lost my balance in the first round but luckily I didn't," she sheepishly told reporters.

Thailand's Sareeya Promsuntisit won silver with 2,410 points in the first round and 2,570 in the second, while another Malaysian, Phillipa Yoong-Barly, netted bronze with 1,890 (first round) and 1860 points (second round).

Aaliyah's father, Hanifah Yoong, said his daughter had been water skiing since she was five.

"We don't want to push her too hard because she's still a child . We don't want her to be pressured. But she enjoys training very much, it's like she's addicted to the sport," he said.

He said Aaliyah underwent training five days a week and still had time to play with her friends. -- BERNAMA.

In sports, a tougher road to fame

Building a successful sports career may mean spending many years abroad, an option which most of our budding athletes are reluctant to consider

Minutes after she captured a record sixth World Open crown last Sunday in Rotterdam, squash queen Nicol David took to the microphone and declared: "Winning a world title is huge in Malaysia."
She is right.

The 28-year-old Penang lass, who has won every world title since 2005 with the exception of 2008, was quick to add that the country was always gunning to have more people in sports.

In reality, getting more and more Malaysians just like her onto the global stage -- and collecting major titles -- is posing a bigger challenge now than ever before.

Our biggest hurdles, I think, are the glaring lack of a sports culture, unlike the Australians for example, stiffer competition from other active sporting nations, our hit-and-miss sports policy and inadequate funding.

The constant pressure on children to do well in public examinations is also taking a toll on sports. Sports also arguably offers a less secure future than a desk job and parents are unwilling to sacrifice their children's education for sports.

"We complain that Malaysia is not doing well (in sports). But how many parents want their kids to be professional athletes?" asks a friend of mine who works in the Youth and Sports Ministry.

 "I, for one, don't want my kids to go through painful training regimes."

Sharing the limelight with Nicol last Sunday was shuttler Zulfadli Zulkifli, who upset favourite Viktor Axelsen of Denmark to clinch the world junior title in Taipei.

A jubilant 18-year-old Zulfadli  told this newspaper that he would not rest on his laurels. "My aim next year is to break into the top 100 and start doing well in open tournaments."

Building a successful sports career may mean spending many years abroad, an option which most of our budding athletes are reluctant to consider.    

My colleague at the sports desk reminded me that Nicol wouldn't be the player she is today had she stayed in Malaysia.

Similarly, this is also the case for cyclist Azizul Hasni Awang and his teammates who took up the challenge and moved to Melbourne. They are now winning medals at the world stage.

Badminton icon Datuk Lee Chong Wei was quite fortunate as he had good sparring partners when he was an up-and-coming player.

Funding is also a pressing issue. Currently, it is still very much government driven.

There was a sharp spike in federal allocations when we won the bid to host the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.

 Since then, sports bodies and associations, irrespective of how successful they are, are unable to wean off their reliance on government finances.

We always wonder why Germany excels in sports.

One Malaysian who grew up there noted that in Germany, schools in the same neighbourhood form a sports club and share the facilities. In Malaysia, each school tries to have facilities and coaches (mostly untrained) for every sport!

As such, sports should start in schools and the community. Just like in Australia or Germany, where it is a way of life.

The Youth and Sports Ministry, which has declared 2011-2012 as Sports Industry Year, wants to turn sports into big business to help lift the standards of sports in the country.

It wants more private sector investment in sports via sponsorships, training, infrastructure development, event management, merchandising, production of apparel, sports equipment, sports nutrition and many more.

In terms of gross national income, our sports industry was worth an estimated RM30.2 billion in 2009, or five per cent of the total gross domestic product.

Commentators doubt whether the ministry's plan can take off. "Do we have the ingredients to develop a thriving sports industry?" asks a former sports writer. "The industry can only go big if there is a market.

"Banks were big in sports at one time. They were the biggest employers of sportsmen and sportswomen. Unfortunately, most banks have merged and now sports does not feature highly on their list of priorities.

"Inter-bank championships in the 1980s drew greater interest than national meets. Even government departments and government-linked companies have stopped or reduced hiring of sportsmen and sportswomen. Maybe Tenaga Nasional still, but then it is limited to only hockey," he noted.

Once the current crop of top-notch players bow out of the world arena, we will once again be devoid of our own sporting kings and queens.

Developing new ones will take years and a lot of sweat and tears. We have to act  now.

Otherwise, we will  end up as a mere spectator nation.

Hilang Sebutir Permata Sukan Memanah

ULU TIRAM - Jenazah Pemanah elit paralimpik negara, Mohd Salam Sidik, 28, selamat disemadikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Sungai Tiram, di sini, kira-kira jam 11 malam, semalam.

Turut berada di tanah perkuburan berkenaan adalah kedua ibu bapanya, adik beradik, saudara mara, jiran, rakan seperjuangan dalam bidang sukan dan kakitangan Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN).
Jenazah Allahyarham selamat di bawa pulang ke rumahnya di Kampung Sungai Tiram, di sini, terlebih dahulu, selepas mendapat kebenaran pihak hospital sekitar jam 10 malam untuk diberikan penghormatan terakhir.

Terdahulu, Allahyarham Mohd Salam mengadu sakit kepala dan berehat di kediaman atlet Casa I, MSN sebelum disedari tenat oleh rakannya.

Beliau meninggal dunia pada pukul 1 petang ketika dalam perjalanan ke HUKM, semalam.

Sepanjang kerjayanya sebagai atlet, Mohd. Salam pernah beraksi di Sukan Paralimpik Athens (2004) dan Beijing (2008).

Beliau juga pernah menduduki ranking No. 1 dunia Kesatuan Memanah Antarabangsa (FITA) pada tahun 2009.

 Al-Fatihah!

Zulfadli pengganti Chong Wei

ZULFADLI akan menamatkan karie selaku pemain remaja pada tahun ini.

---

JUARA remaja dunia, juara remaja Asia, juara Sukan Komanwel Remaja dan juara remaja kebangsaan.
Itulah pencapaian bintang badminton muda negara, Zulfadli Zulkifli yang dilakarnya sepanjang tahun ini.
Simboliknya, kesemua kejayaan tersebut dilakar ketika dia bakal menamatkan karier selaku pemain remaja pada tahun ini.

Ini kerana, usia Zulfadli bakal menjangkau 19 tahun pada tahun depan.
Berdasarkan pencapaian itu, dia kini disebut-sebut sebagai calon paling sesuai bagi menggantikan tempat jaguh perseorangan negara, Datuk Lee Chong Wei andai dia bersara kelak.
Bagaimanapun, bagi Zulfadli yang bernaung di bawah Kelab Raket Kuala Lumpur (KLRC), dia tidak mahu terburu-buru untuk memikirkan sasaran itu.

Sebaliknya, dia meletakkan sasaran dua hingga tiga tahun lagi untuk menggalas cabaran sebagai pemain No. 1 negara di pentas antarabangsa kerana masih banyak perlu diperbaiki terutama dalam corak permainannya.
"Saya tipu kalau saya katakan saya langsung tidak memasang impian untuk menjadi pemain No. 1 negara. Mana-mana pemain sekalipun pasti memikirkan perkara yang sama seperti saya.

"Namun, bukan mudah sebenarnya untuk bergelar pemain No. 1 negara. Banyak perkara yang perlu diperbaikinya terutama dalam corak permainan. Saya perlu bersedia dari semua aspek.
"Dalam tempoh terdekat ini, memang sukar untuk saya untuk menggalas cabaran sebagai pemain No. 1 negara tetapi saya meletakkan sasaran selama dua hingga tiga tahun lagi daripada sekarang," kata Zulfadli ketika dihubungi Kosmo! kelmarin.