Paris Olympics: Malaysia will send a contingent, Hannah confirms

PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia will still send a contingent to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris despite threats by some countries to boycott the world’s biggest multi-sports event, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

She said this was decided by the Road to Gold (RTG) Committee, in line with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) stand of not dragging political issues into sports.

"I can’t comment on other countries but like I said, we just stick to what the RTG Committee had decided,” she told a press conference here today.

Hannah believed the national athletes would give their best in search of glory for Malaysia, who are still hunting for their first ever Olympics gold.

Several countries, including the United States, Germany and Australia, have reportedly threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics following the IOC’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris.

On another matter, Hannah said she would meet professional badminton player Lee Zii Jia tomorrow in a bid to help him solve his problems

Admitting that high public expectations had put Zii Jia under tremendous pressure, Hannah slammed a stream of negative press reports on the 25-year-old player as unhealthy.

The world number four men’s singles player has been dogged by inconsistent performances recently.

Hannah said professional athletes needed the support and understanding of all quarters as their needs vary, including under the RTG programme.

"They can just WhatsApp and tell us. There is no need for an official meeting because sometimes this can be a roadblock.

"This is the kind of open communication that we want to have with our athletes because at the end of the day, they are the ones entering the arena,” she said.

Apart from Zii Jia, five other representatives from badminton are listed for the RTG programme, namely men's doubles world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik; national number one women’s pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and three professional pairs - Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (mixed); Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (mixed) and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men).

The other athletes under the RTG programme are track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and his teammate Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, and divers Datuk Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri. - BERNAMA