OLYMPIC Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria regarded the national contingent's achievement at the Tokyo Olympics as "very good" despite their failure to meet the three-medal target, with one of them being gold.
He said the one silver and one bronze feat in Tokyo equalled the country's second-best Olympic achievement at the 2012 London Games.
"This was not a normal Olympics. The Covid-19 pandemic forced athletes to train under a sports bubble for 18 months and some were stressed. Apart from that, competitions were postponed or cancelled due to Covid.
"Despite the difficult circumstances, we had 30 athletes in Tokyo. Their achievement is praiseworthy. Congratulations to all medal winners and athletes who fought all out for the country in Tokyo," said Norza yesterday.
While thanking the government for its support, he was also grateful that all the national athletes in Tokyo were safe and protected from the virus.
"We saw the emergence of young athletes like Lee Zii Jia, Aaron, Wooi Yik (badminton), Nur Dhabitah Sabri (diving), Syaqiera Mashayikh (archery) and Azreen Nabila Alias (athletics) in Tokyo. This augurs well for our preparations for the 2024 Paris Games.
"In addition, I believe senior athletes like Pandelela, Azizulhasni will consider competing again in Paris. It is three years down the road, so preparations have to start now." Bernama