World Cup Football Activities at the Olympic Sports Hotel

World Cup Football fever has hit the World and Malaysia is no exception. In keeping with the hype, the Olympic Sports Hotel, located in Wisma OCM, home of the Olympic Council of Malaysia has set up a FIFA World Cup exhibition of photographs, souvenirs, mementos and memorabilia of past FIFA World Cup Championships and some exciting activities at the Olympic Coffee House, for sports fans in general and Football enthusiasts in particular.

Mr. Ow Soon Kooi, Chairman of Olympic Sports Hotel, who himself is a two time Olympian, having represented Malaysia at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games and the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, had taken great pains and efforts to create a very attractive ambience to commemorate the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Members of the Olympic Council of Malaysia and other sports and Football fans are most welcomed to visit the Olympic Sports Hotel South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup exhibition and watch the 2010 World Cup matches live on a big screen located at the Coffee House of the Olympic Sports Hotel, in a truly FIFA World Cup environment.

Photos:


“Football is Life” poster signed by Joao Havelange, FIFA President 1974 to 1998.


View of the part of the Olympic Sports Hotel Coffee House, where fans can watch the live matches with France 1998 FIFA World Cup posters on the wall.


Souvenirs, mementos and memorabilia of South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup


Posters of Dunga with the World Cup in 1994 and framed Brazilian Jersey signed by him. Dunga is the present Coach of the Brazilian Team.


Brazilian Jersey signed by Ronaldo, striker of the Brazilian national team, which won the 1994 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he became the highest goal scorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal, surpassing Gerd Muller’s previous record of 14.


Autographed jersey of Roberto Carlos, fullback of the Brazilian national team. He is a member of the Brazilian team which won the 2002 FIFA World Cup.


Posters of the German national team of the Mexico 1970 FIFA World Cup and showcase of , souvenirs, mementos and memorabilia.


Poster and jersey of Brazilian national team, winner of the 1994 FIFA World Cup.


Autographed jersey of Ossie Ardiles, mid fielder of the Argentinian national team, which won the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The small photograph shows Y.Bhg. Dato’ Zainal Abidin with Ossie Ardiles.


Autographed jersey and boots of Oliver Khan, goalkeeper of the German national team, which finished in second place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Kahn won the Lev Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and became the first goalkeeper in history to win the Golden Ball for the best individual performance.


Autographed jersey of Franz Beckenbauer, nick-name Der Kaiser, libero of the German national Team. Captain of the German that won the World Cup in 1974 and manager of the German team that won the FIFA World Cup in 1990.


Posters of France 1998 FIFA World Cup.


Autographed jersey of Jurgen Klinsman, striker of the German National team, which won the FIFA World Cup in 1990. He was the Manager of the German national team, which finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.


Autographed jersey and boots of Gerd Muller, striker of the German national team, which won the FIFA World Cup in 1974.


Autographed jersey of members of the German national team.


Autographed jersey of Johan Neeskens, mid fielder of the Netherlands national team. He was a member of the Netherland team that finished as runner-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup.


Autographed boots and ball of Johan Neeskens, mid fielder of the Netherlands national team. He was a member of the Netherland team that finished as runner-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup.


Some souvenirs and of France 1998 FIFA World Cup


Some souvenirs and of Korea-Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup


Some souvenirs and of past FIFA World Cup


Posters of past FIFA World Cup.


Posters of Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup

Recognise our past greats like Super Mokh

OF LATE we have been honouring many sportsmen and women for their contributions to the country. We also have not forgotten proponents of sports and many of them have their contributions recognised with various titles and other incentives.

What saddens me most is that the nation has forgotten the great contributions of the late Mokhtar Dahari or Super Mokh (pic) as he was aptly called in the world of football.

Mokhtar Dahari not only gave everything to football but also his life. Tragically he died when he was at his peak. He would have been a living legend had he been still alive today.

We must not forget the great contributions Mokhtar Dahari made. There were many greats from his era, but everyone will agree with me that Mokhtar Dahari was the greatest.

His knowledge of the game was total, and he gave everything to the game he loved. Whenever he played, be it for the state or the nation, he would give his all. His focus was total and his aim was to win. Nothing else.
This man was special. This man was total. This man was made for football.

I am shattered that he has not been recognised for his contributions and commitment to football, whether by his state or his nation.

It is as if he has been totally forgotten. Something must be done to recognise this great sportsman. Something tangible. Something that can inspire the sportsmen and women of today.

Stadium Bukit Jalil should be named after the prolific Super Mokh. It should be renamed Stadium Mokhtar Dahari. That is the ultimate honour the state and the country can give him. It also cannot be too late to bestow him with other awards.

I would also like to suggest a Hall of Fame for sportsmen and sportswomen of the nation. This is another way of recognising the contributions of sportsmen and women — past and present.

This will be a real boost to our sportsmen and women to perform well in all tournaments.

Sports-themed hotel gets World Cup makeover

KUALA LUMPUR: Considered a time capsule for the world's most popular single-sport tournament, the  uniquely-styled Olympic Sports Hotel here exhibits a wide array of World Cup memorabilia dating back to the  early 1960s, a first for any hotel in the country.

The hotel, located at Wisma OCM along Jalan Hang Jebat, displays priceless items such as autographed jerseys from the 1994 German World Cup squad and decorated English goalkeeper Ray Clemence.
Ow Soon Kooi, who took over as the hotel's director last year, said the memorabilia reflected the local passion for the World Cup.

"The idea to do this came from a friend three months ago. We decided to decorate the hotel in conjunction with the upcoming World Cup in South Africa," he said.
"As a sports-themed hotel, we have to live up to our name. And so, we have on display some of the rarest World Cup collector's items to give our guests a unique atmosphere."
Ow, himself a national hockey legend, said the hotel lobby acts as a hall-of-fame for some of the greatest football players.

Upon entering the lobby, one will be greeted by posters of Diego Maradona's 1986 "hand of God" goal, and World Cup posters.

"These exhibits are loaned to us by their owners. We had difficulty tracking them down, let alone get the respective owners' permission to exhibit them here," said Ow.

"The most priceless item here are the framed autographed photos of Brazilian legend Pele, which I purchased myself."

Next to the hotel's reception area are a number of glass showcases exhibiting items such as German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn's gloves from the 1994 World Cup, as well as the boots of Franz Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as captain (1974) and coach (1990).

"The concept of our hotel is not only to cater to athletes, but the general public and tourists as well," said Ow.
"Among our guests over the years have been national football team members, officials from the Asian Youth Volleyball tournament as well as foreign media representatives covering the recent Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals."

Ow said he will continue to exhibit sports memorabilia as well as repay his debt to the country by hanging up pictures of Malaysian sports legends.

"Once the World Cup football fever has cooled down, I plan to put up pictures of our nation's greatest sportsmen. For athletes, the passion for sports never dies. It lives on and we will always be there for the love of the game."

The Straits Times Thomas Cup Souvenir

The 2010 Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals ended on 16th May 2010, with the men's team of China and the women's team of Korea winning the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup respectively. Malaysia's Thomas Cup team lost the semi-final against China, while the women's Uber Cup team was defeated by Indonesian team in the quarter-final.

51 years earlier, the 1st Thomas Cup Final was played on February 25th and 26th 1949 at Preston, England, between Malaya and Denmark, which Malaya won by 8 matches to 1.

Thanks to Mr. Chris Syer, a member of the OCM Media Committee, OCM obtained a copy of "The Straits Times Thomas Cup Souvenir - An illustrated record of the visit of the successful Malayan Badminton Team to Europe in 1948/49". OCM believes that the Mr. Chris Syer's copy is one of a few copies of the souvenir left in Malaysia.

OCM has produced a soft-copy of the souvenir which is posted in the OCM Website for the public to read and view.

Download: The STRAITS TIMES THOMAS CUP Souvenir - Malayan Badminton Team 1948-49


The STRAITS TIMES THOMAS CUP Souvenir - Malayan Badminton Team 1948-49 Cover Page

Visit of participants of TAFISA Certified Leadership Course in Sport for All to the OCM Museum and Hall of Fame

On the evening of 8th May 2010, the participants of the Certified Leadership course in Sport for All organized a Farewell Dinner at Level 2C, Wisma OCM, Kuala Lumpur. Before the start of the Dinner, the participants of the Certified Leadership course in Sport for All, paid a visit to OCM Museum and Hall of Fame. The participants had an enjoyable time there, taking photographs.

The OCM Museum and Hall of Fame was established in December 2004, on the completion of Phase II of Wisma OCM. It is located on Level 2B in an area of about 8,000 sq. ft. The OCM Museum and Hall of Fame received a grant from NOC Legacy of Olympic Solidarity for its establishment.


Four participants of the Certified Leadership Course in Sport for All, from left, Mr. Nay Phonna (Cambodia), Mr. Masanori Tamazawa (Japan), Ms. Sun Jin-Kim and Ms. Claire Son (Korea)


Two participants of the Certified Leadership Course in the OCM Hall of Fame, Mr. Behzad Alemi (left) and Mr. Omidali Daftari, both from Iran


Group photograph of the participants in the OCM Museum and Hall of Fame.


Mr Omidali Daftari (Iran) in front of the IOC Trophy winners


Some participants: from left, Madam Kusum Bhardwaj, Mrs. Mrignaini Khullar, Dr. Rakesh Khullar (all India), Mr. Omidali Daftari and Mr. Behzad Alemi (both Iran)


Two participants in front of the OCM Hall of Fame, from left, Dr. Henry Codero Daut of Philippines (lecturer) and Mr. Kho Chin Hong of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia.


Mr. Behzad Alemi (Iran) in front of the IOC Trophy winners.

King Ghaz Reigned Over Golden Age In Sports

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's prowess in track and field was at its height under Tun Ghazali Shafie when he led the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) for 26 years from 1962.

It was the golden era especially for the women athletes, namely Marina Chin, V. Angamah, Saik Oik Cum and Zaiton Othman, who dazzled on the track with their gutsy spirit and winning performances.

King Ghaz, as he was fondly referred to, also presided over the likes of "flying doctor" M. Jegathesan, who won in the 1966 Asiad in Bangkok, Ishtiaq Mobarak, who qualified for the semifinals of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Rabuan Pit, who won the Asian sprint gold in 1982 in New Delhi, and B. Rajkumar, who captured the 1986 Asian championships 800m gold in record-shattering style.

Inevitably, Ghazali's death yesterday at the age of 88 was mourned in sports circles.

His love for sports never waned, according to Datuk A. Vaithilingam, one of the longest-serving athletics officials now retired.

The infighting within the MAAU that led to the suspension of the national association by the Sports Commissioner in 2002 pained Ghazali so much so that he called Vaithilingam.

"Vaithi, can we both do something to clear the mess in MAAU now?" Ghazali asked Vaithilingam.

"At that time, he had already left the MAAU for 14 years but he was still concerned. He had full control, discipline, efficiency and mutual respect with democracy as his style," Vaithilingam said.

Ghazali launched a five-year development plan for athletics in 1967 and, by 1972, every state in Malaysia had qualified coaches and officials and all-weather tracks were constructed in most states.

"Those were wonderful years. His interest in the welfare of athletes was always inspiring. During his tenure, Malaysia had a team of golden girls in Angamah, Oik Cum, Marina and Zaiton and we also had Kamaruddin Mydin and Nashatar Singh," Vaithilingam said.

Oik Cum, the lanky young athlete who stunned the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games for the 400m gold medal, has fond memories.

"He was a good leader and very caring," said Oik Cum, who works with a bank here.

Jegathesan, now deputy president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, said Malaysian athletics had plenty to thank Ghazali for.

"During that time, athletes were amateurs and officials were volunteers. Sometimes, he forked out his own money to help us because there was no National Sports Council then.

"The MAAU really depended on his connections and, under King Ghaz, it was truly the golden years," Jegathesan said.

-- BERNAMA

Ghazali Shafie meninggal dunia

GHAZALI (dua dari kanan) bersama Tun Mahathir dan Tun Musa Hitam bersama bekas Presiden Indonesia, Suharto dalam satu pertemuan di Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 1983.

---

KUALA LUMPUR - Bekas Menteri Dalam Negeri, Tun Ghazali Shafie, 88, meninggal dunia akibat sakit tua di kediamannya di Subang Jaya dekat sini kira-kira 7.45 malam tadi.
Ghazali yang dilahirkan di Kuala Lipis, Pahang pada 22 Mac 1922 meninggalkan dua orang anak lelaki iaitu Bachtiaer, 53, dan Sheriffudin, 47.
Isteri beliau Toh Puan Khatijah Abdul Majid telah meninggal dunia pada April 2008.
Ghazali merupakan ahli politik pada era Perdana Menteri pertama, Tunku Abdul Rahman hinggalah era Perdana Menteri keempat, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad iaitu dari 1970-1984.
Beliau memainkan peranan penting dalam pembentukan Malaysia apabila menjadi penasihat tetap Suruhanjaya Cobbold bagi meninjau pendapat rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak untuk menyertai Malaysia.