KUALA LUMPUR: The nation's top athletes have received more support in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics than any of their predecessors since Malaya, and subsequently Malaysia, first competed at the Olympic Games in 1956.
The Youth and Sports Ministry, via the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, has given Malaysia's creme de la creme the additional support they need to achieve that long-awaited breakthrough — winning the nation's first Olympic gold.
The government, which allocated RM20 million to the RTG programme this year, has done all it can, and it is now up to the athletes to deliver in Paris.
A total of 10 out of the 26 athletes competing in Paris are under the RTG programme, launched early last year.
Among the beneficiaries of RTG assistance are the national badminton and track cycling squads.
BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky said RTG backing has been crucial in enhancing the team's programme and optimising preparation.
Six RTG-supported shuttlers who qualified for the Paris Olympics are men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, women's pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, and mixed pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
Thanks to RTG, Rexy enlisted the services of two former Indonesian national shuttlers — Ade Yusuf and Gerardo Rizqullah Hafidz — to help improve Pearly-Thinaah's speed and strength.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were also given two sparring partners from Taiwan recently, while a psychologist, Frederick Tan, was also brought in to help the team.
"I would like to thank the RTG committee for all the support they've given us. Their support has been unwavering in all aspects," said Rexy recently.
"All the requests we made have been granted with ease. All we needed to do was just give them a call.
"We were told that any kind of assistance which may help us in the quest to win a gold medal would be provided.
"In fact, during a meeting with the National Sports Council (NSC), we were asked what support we needed. We told them we did not need anything else because RTG had already provided it to us.
"So, the onus is now on our players to focus and deliver the first gold."
Track cyclists Azizulhasni Awang and Shah Firdaus Sahrom have also been given strong support via RTG.
The duo recently competed in Belgium and are undergoing their final preparations in Mallorca before leaving for Paris on Aug 1.
They will be armed with the latest version of the WX-R Vorteq bike in Paris, developed at a cost of RM7.5 million.
National track cycling programme technical director John Beasley said the key difference is that athletes under RTG have assistance — often delayed in the past by red tape — provided to them much faster.
"RTG has helped them with the additional services. We have a direct line of communication (with the RTG committee) that can take immediate action instead of having to go through (normal) procedures," said Beasley earlier this year.
"NSC does a fantastic job, though they are governed by policies and procedures, so things happen much slower than you need them to at times.
"It is not NSC's fault, as they are following the guidelines they are governed by, but sometimes things happen, and immediate action is needed. This is where RTG comes in.
"(Youth and Sports Minister) Hannah Yeoh has put together a great team (RTG committee) that is able to deal with most situations on the spot or extremely quickly because it is set up to do so.
"This is a team of exceptional people. It is a pleasure to serve under great people whose only priority is to help the athletes get to the start line in the best condition possible, feeling supported through that journey."
For the first time in history, national athletes will also have a Malaysia House, a new initiative introduced under the RTG programme, to support them in Paris.
Due to limited quotas, Malaysia can only place a handful of support service staff within the games village in Paris.
To work around this, RTG has decided to set up the Malaysia House at a hotel in Paris where various support services for athletes will be housed.
This includes masseuses, physiotherapists, psychologists, and nutritionists who all play a key role in an athlete's recovery process.
"There is a concern that the athletes' recovery process may be hampered if they depend on the common services (provided by organisers) within the games village," said NSC director-general Abdul Rashid Yaakub recently.
"This is because athletes from other countries will also be vying for the same services.
"To overcome this, we have set up the Malaysia House to cater to our athletes' needs. It will all be under one roof, and we can give the service to them fast to ensure they remain in optimum condition throughout the competition.
"Recovery is imperative for athletes competing at the highest level.
"We can also cater to their specific needs, including their food. All they have to do is inform us of what they need a day in advance, and our nutritionists will prepare it for them."
With RTG in place, the national athletes' preparations for the Olympics have been done in much greater detail compared to the past.
This is imperative as very fine margins separate winners from losers in modern sports.