OCM: Contingent is best ever

THE Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) regards the 33 Beijing Games-bound athletes as the greatest Malaysian Olympics contingent ever, with badminton, archery, cycling and taekwondo as potential medal winners.

OCM president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar (pic) said medals would definitely be won if athletes compete without fear.

"However, it could also backfire if the athletes choke under pressure. It could happen to athletes in archery, cycling and taekwondo as they have never been in a situation of being Malaysia's medal hopes at the Olympic-level," said Tunku Imran after the launch of the Astro's 11 interactive channels for the Olympics in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"I'm sure they are ready to do battle but they must remember that the scenario in Beijing will be different. They cannot let elements such as bad judging and injuries affect their concentration in their respective events."

"As for badminton, I'm confident that the shuttlers will be able to handle pressure as they are world class."
Tunku Imran singled out badminton as Malaysia's best chance for medals followed by archery, taekwondo and cycling.

"Medals from archery and taekwondo will depend on the luck of the draw. The archers have been enjoying a fantastic season so far and as the fourth ranked team in the world, they will be closely watched in Beijing."

"Josiah Ng and Mohd Azizul Hasni Awang, have tremendous potential to make an impact in the sprint and keirin," he said.

There is still a possibility of more Malaysians qualifying, either as reserves or wildcards.

Women's archer S. Anbarasi and laser radial sailor Nurul Elia Anuar are first reserves in their respective events while triathlete Kimberly Yap could receive a wildcard.

The three will know their fate on Wednesday, the final day for the registration of athletes.

Meanwhile, Astro, which is also the sponsor of the Malaysian Olympic contingent, will bring live coverage of the Beijing Games on 11 interactive channels from July 27-Aug 26.

The 11 channels will broadcast over 3,000 hours of comprehensive live coverage of the games. There will also be a channel in Cantonese.

Tunku Imran commended Astro on its commitment to local sports.

Also present were National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong and National Sports Institute (NSI) director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz.

NST