KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh remains open-minded despite harsh criticism suggesting that the Road To Gold (RTG) programme has turned into the "Road To Bronze."
For Hannah, while sports fans are free to express their opinions on social media, the most important feedback comes from the key stakeholders of the programme— the athletes and coaches.
"Criticism is always present because sports fans are diverse, and everyone feels they have the right to share their opinions. We accept that because everyone is free to express their views, especially on social media.
"But for us at the elite level, the most important opinions come from the technical director and coaches because they know best. That's what matters most. We've heard from coaches like Rexy Mainaky (badminton) and John Beasley (track cycling), and our RTG stakeholders are the coaches and athletes.
"If the coaches and athletes say that without RTG, they wouldn't have achieved this level of performance, then we have to accept it. That's the reality—they are the ones who experience all the benefits from RTG firsthand," Hannah said.
The national contingent concluded the Paris 2024 Olympics with two bronze medals in badminton, won by the men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Woh Wooi Yik and singles player Lee Zii Jia. Despite this, the 26-athlete contingent demonstrated extraordinary fighting spirit, even though nearly two-thirds of them were Olympic debutants.
Among those who performed exceptionally well was weightlifter Aniq Kasdan, who challenged for a medal and broke the national record, proving that the RTG programme had a positive impact on the athletes.
Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, also making her Olympic debut, set a new national record in the women's sprint event.
The RTG programme, launched in March last year, spans two Olympic cycles: Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.