KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian sports authorities and their leaders should take what has happened with the Commonwealth Games as a lesson, says sports observer Sadek Mustaffa.
Sadek said Malaysia has for too long depended on the same sports to deliver the medals at multi-sport games, including the Commonwealth Games, and now finds itself at a major disadvantage when those sports are no longer included.
To keep costs down, Glasgow - who stepped in as last minute hosts of the 2026 Commonwealth Games - have axed more than 10 disciplines which includes sports Malaysia has excelled at in previous editions of the games.
"We should learn from what has happened now. There was no emphasis on expanding the scope of sports we can rely on at multi-sport games and we are now paying the price," said Sadek when contacted today.
"We have always depended on the same sports to win medals, which has also been the case for the Sea Games and other competitions.
"We never dared to give other sports a chance (to be developed). If we don't change our ways and become more serious about this (diversifying), we will end up crying.
"This is no doubt a slap in the face for our sports bodies and their leaders, most notably the Sports Ministry and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
"We are lucky that sports such as weightlifting, para powerlifting and lawn bowls have still been included for Glasgow."
Badminton, diving, squash, rhythmic gymnastics and table tennis have all been dropped from the 2026 games. Combined, Malaysia won 15 medals in these sports - four of them gold - at the 2022 Birmingham games.
Field hockey, rugby sevens, road cycling, mountain biking, triathlon, beach volleyball and wrestling have also been axed.
Weightlifting, para powerlifting, lawn bowls, judo and track cycling, which Malaysia won eight medals (three gold) from in Birmingham, remain in the programme.
The sports which will be contested in Glasgow are athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls as well as 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball.
Sadek added that Malaysia should focus on individual events in key Olympic sports such as athletics and swimming which offer greater "value for money" compared to team sports.
"Traditional Olympic sports such as swimming and athletics offer so many medals but we have lost focus in these sports over the years and subsequently our athletes have failed to excel in them," said Sadek.
"These sports also feature individual athletes which cost less money to develop compared to team sports such as cricket or rugby.
"In individual sports such as athletics, a good sprinter can compete in three or four events such as the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and the 4x400m events. This way we have more chances to win medals across multiple events, we get greater value for money.
"But for team sports, one team can be between 18 to 20 people, including officials, but they are only fighting for one medal.
"We have to find a way to make these (individual) sports popular again and start planning for the long term. We have to start thinking about competitions that come after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics which lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics."
The Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sports and Recreation Faculty senior lecturer added that Malaysia should not bother appealing to have the sports dropped reinstated for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
"We have to accept the fact that we are not the hosts of the 2026 games, we can't afford to host it," said Sadek.
"We have to accept the sports and the rules that have been laid out by the organiser (Glasgow) and focus on preparing our athletes for these 10 sports."
Victoria, Australia was originally selected as the host for the 2026 games though withdrew last year citing escalating costs.
A number of other countries, including Malaysia, were approached to step in to replace Victoria, however, declined before Glasgow finally saved the games.