SEA Games 2023: Malaysia chef de mission says sorry for worst-ever showing
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Malaysia's delegation during the opening ceremony of the 32nd SEA Games at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh on May 5.
PHOTO: AFP
PHNOM PENH – Malaysia’s chef de mission Nasir Ali on Wednesday apologised to supporters for the contingent’s failure to meet their 40-gold medal target at the Cambodia SEA Games.
Its 677-strong contingent won 34 gold, 45 silver and 96 bronze medals to finish seventh, one spot behind Causeway rivals Singapore, who ended their campaign with 51-43-64.
Vietnam emerged overall champions with 136 gold, 105 silver and 118 bronze medals, followed by Thailand (108-96-108), Indonesia (87-80-109), Cambodia (81-74-127), the Philippines (58-85-117) and Singapore.
It was Malaysia’s worst result, ranking wise, in the 64-year history of the Games. At the last edition in Hanoi in 2022, they were sixth with a 39-45-90 haul.
Their track and field athletes won the most golds in Phnom Penh (five), with diving, karate and pencak silat claiming four golds each, taekwondo winning three, while billiards, hockey, sailing and wushu won two each. The remaining golds came from swimming, cycling, dancesport, golf, kickboxing and petanque.
“I humbly apologise for not achieving the 40-gold target that we had hoped for,” said Nasir in a press conference at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on Wednesday. “However, the 34 golds we won are quality medals, and I’m confident we will be able to build on this in future.”
Ahead of the Games, Malaysia had set a goal of 40 gold medals, which Nasir said was done after three meetings with the national sports associations.
He added: “The target was seen as realistic based on a number of factors. We discussed the target with each association. After this, we need to go back to the associations and ask for an explanation.
“Many say this is our worst performance... that is their opinion,” he added.
Nasir also said in Malaysian media reports that he did not feel the failure was due to the short preparation time, but he admitted that some sports had faced issues ahead of the Games, without identifying them.
Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and the Olympic Council of Malaysia president Norza Zakaria are expected to talk about the contingent’s performance on Friday.
