KUALA LUMPUR: National rugby sevens head coach Nik Safuan Ismade Nik Man believes Malaysia can fight for a top-four finish at the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games if they are able to prepare well.
Nik was appointed as men's squad head coach last year and has the tough task of reviving the performances of the national sevens squad which has suffered a slump in performances in recent seasons.
Covid-19 restrictions hit contact sports, including rugby, hard between 2020-2022. Government funding cuts in 2022 also saw the Nagoya 2026 project being scrapped by the National Sports Council.
The project was started in early 2020 and its goal was to develop a sevens side capable of challenging for a medal at the Nagoya games.
The national sevens squad showed improvement to place fifth from eight teams at the second leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Hangzhou, China yesterday (Sept 22).
They finished sixth in the opening leg in Incheon, South Korea earlier this month.
Nik, who returned to Malaysia with the squad early this morning, said it will take time to bring the team's performances back up to the levels they showed during the 2017 to 2019 period.
Malaysia had won its first-ever Sea Games gold at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition and claimed silver at the 2019 Hanoi games, losing to Philippines in the final.
"We were under-prepared going into the Incheon leg but I was pleased with the improvements we achieved in Hangzhou," said Nik.
"But we still have a lot of room for improvement in a number of areas including fitness.
"When we are not well prepared, the players also get injured more easily. So far we have about six players injured.
"My main goal is to prepare the team for the Thailand Sea Games next year as well as the Nagoya Asian Games.
"I believe we can fight for a top-four finish at the Asian Games but I need time and support to prepare the team.
"Prior to the 2017 and 2019 Sea Games, the players were given contracts by the National Sports Council and were training full-time for more than a year which allowed them to be in optimal condition.
"Currently the players are training part-time and only come in for training camps for a short period before we compete (in Asian Sevens Series legs)."
Malaysia finished sixth at the 2022 Asian Games in China.
Winning a medal in Nagoya will be even tougher now as China has emerged as a new power in Asian sevens rugby in recent years.
China finished second to Hong Kong at the Incheon leg and third in Hanghzou behind Hong Kong and Japan, who are currently the two strongest sides in Asia in both the sevens and 15s format.
"China have been taking rugby sevens very seriously since rugby was included in the Olympics (Rio 2016). The Olympics is very important to them," said Nik.
"They are really serious about developing their team and their national squad is even based abroad, not in China.
"To finish in the top-four at the Asian Games we will have to beat United Arab Emirates and South Korea, which will not be easy but is not impossible if we are well prepared."
The Bunga Raya squad was able to beat UAE 17-12 in the plate final in Hangzhou yesterday after losing to them 22-7 just a day earlier in the group stage.
Malaysia has yet to play South Korea in the Sevens Series this year.
The third and final leg of the Sevens Series will be held in Bangkok on Nov 9-10.