PUTRAJAYA: Former Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin hopes his successor, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will not be blamed if Malaysia fail to deliver at next month’s Asian Games in Indonesia.
Instead, Khairy, who was present during the handing over of duty ceremony to Syed Saddiq at the ministry, said he will take responsibility for the contingent’s performance at the games on Aug 18 to Sept 2.
“If you (Syed Saddiq) can’t fulfil the Asian Games target, you can blame me. I will accept it,” he said.
On February 2016, Khairy launched the Podium Programme to groom athletes for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The Asian Games is a test for these athletes.
At the 2014 Incheon edition, Malaysia did not perform well by winning only five gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said the Asian Games target will be announced to the media soon.
“I will meet the athletes and the national sports associations first before setting an accurate target,” he said.
Despite the target being the main focus, Syed Saddiq said he does not want it to overshadow the athletes’ welfare.
“We don’t want to stress them (the athletes) out to a point where their welfare is discarded. The success is ours together.
“If an athlete is sick, we would all bear the pain,” he added.
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