Lee: All sports bodies and councils must ensure continuity in producing high calibre athletes
Lee (centre) and Wee (seventh right) posing proudly with the SBBA bodybuilders at a leading restaurant here on Wednesday night. — Photos by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: Every sports body or association and council in the country should have a succession plan so that they can maintain being in the top and staying competitive in their respective sport.
Assistant Sports Minister and Assistant Minister of Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin said every sports council in the state and country should have long-term plans to ensure continuity in producing the best athletes for the state and country.
“That is the only way that we can stay in the top flight of sports and have winning athletes or teams in the country,” he told the Sarawak Bodybuilding Association (SBBA) members and bodybuilders who were feted to a dinner by the association at a leading restaurant here on Wednesday night.
“We do not want to leave a gap and no replacement of good athletes or teams who can be potential champions and make us proud in the world of sports,” he added.
Lee also urged every sports association to continue or even start with talent identification so that it would be known who can be good in which sport.
“The associations concerned need to apply sports science and management in their search for new talents … for example, long hands for swimming, short legs and short arms for weightlifting,” he pointed out.
In urging association leaders to undergo science management courses, he said she should approach sports institutes and put forward a proposal so that they can send specialists to the associations to help them.
“To know your sport and athletes, sports leaders and technical people in the association should be trained especially in subjective sports such as bodybuilding.
“For example, in bodybuilding, the officials should know whether the bodybuilders are posing correctly,” he said.
On the SBBA’s performance, Lee said that he will approach the national sports council to recognise their athletes’ achievement and association so that they can get some form of incentives like what other athletes get from other sports bodies.
He praised SBBA president Dato Wee Hong Seng for leading the association well and for the job well done.
Lee announced a RM10,000 grant for the association to continue with its activities and he hoped that the State government’s support and provision of facilities bears fruit for athletes and the country.
“In any sport, if we compete with the best in the nation, then we have to be the best and never give up,” he quipped.
Meanwhile, Wee said he is still in seventh heaven after Sarawak was crowned as the overall champion in the national meet.
“I almost gave up in the association but thanks to the dedicated athletes, we created history. After 45 years, Sarawak finally made it to the top,” he said.
Wee disclosed that Sarawak won the overall champion in Mr Malaysia team category and that it was the first time that Sarawak won the Champion of the Champions in the 70kg and below where the best poser award was won by Sarawak bodybuilder Melvern Abdullah.
“Melvern’s achievement also created a record for Sarawak and I hope others can emulate his achievements,” he enthused.
Wee urged every one in the association to work hard and hoped that the success of being the national champion would spur them to do better and lift the spirit of the new bodybuilders who are potential champions in the future.