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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will be sending its fourth largest contingent for the SEA Games in Cambodia after it was confirmed that 677 athletes and 237 officials will be heading for the regional games.
Scheduled from May 5-May 17 in Phnom Penh, 390 athletes are in Category A, while the other 287 athletes are in Category B. They will participate in 34 events at the games.
In the previous SEA Games, Malaysia had 845 athletes at the 2017 KL Games, 820 for the 2007 Games in Thailand, and 772 athletes at the 2019 Philippines Games.
For the Cambodia Games, athletics has the biggest representation with 65 athletes, while floorball and football will send 40 athletes respectively.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria said the SEA Games serves as a platform for young athletes to be introduced into the international games’ scene.
“The SEA Games is a platform for young athletes to make their mark on the International scene.
“Athletes who are selected should seize this opportunity and not let it go to waste, because the SEA Games is the first step before heading to the Asian Games and Olympics,” he said today during the announcement for the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games contingent.
Norza added that this edition of the SEA Games will be a good indication of where our athletes stand in the post-Covid-19 era.
“A lot of things happened during the pandemic, as we did not have access to many tournaments and had limited training.
“The Cambodia Games will be the real indication of and a good benchmark for us in terms of our performance in the region,” he said.
Norza said the medal target for the games will be announced in April after the committee’s discussion with the National Sports Council and after chef de mission (CDM) Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali has visited each sport.
“I’m sure we can improve on that. That is why the CDM and his deputy will need to talk with the associations and get better clarity on the athletes and their performances,” he added.
At the Hanoi SEA Games last year, Malaysia brought back 39 gold, 45 silver, and 90 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Nasir said he is confident that the athletes will perform better than last year’s performance.
“We see this year’s games as the continuation from Hanoi last year.
“The athletes should be more prepared, (as they) already have much experience competing in Vietnam,” he said.
Malaysia’s best performance was at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur games, when they won 144 gold, 90 silver, and 86 bronze medals. – The Vibes, March 13, 2023