BANGKOK: Malaysia’s success in sepak takraw against Thailand shows that learning, adapting and making the right strategic changes are crucial to improving the nation’s sporting performance, says Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali.
He said the breakthrough showed that Malaysian sports could close the gap with regional powerhouses if the right approaches were adopted, citing sepak takraw as a clear example of progress achieved through continuous evaluation and improvement.
“Sepak takraw has shown that when we study our rivals properly and make the necessary adjustments, we can compete on equal terms, even against traditionally strong teams like Thailand,” he said when commenting on Malaysia’s overall campaign at the 2025 SEA Games here.
Mohd Nasir added that similar lessons should be applied across other sports, particularly those with Olympic potential, where exposure to international competition and high-level coaching are crucial for long-term success.
He stressed that athletes and coaches must be given more opportunities to train and compete overseas, noting that many successful Olympic nations rely heavily on international exposure and foreign-based expertise.
“In sports such as fencing and judo, we have athletes with potential, but they need more consistent international exposure. At the Olympic level, this kind of experience is extremely helpful,” he said.
Mohd Nasir also highlighted the importance of scientific and data-driven preparation, adding that close collaboration between the National Sports Council (MSN), the National Sports Institute (ISN) and OCM would be essential in strengthening Malaysia’s pathway to the Olympics.
“Today, performance is about data and scientific methodology. With proper analysis and support from ISN, we can better identify strengths, weaknesses and areas that need to be improved,” he said.
He added that Malaysia must continue to benchmark itself against regional rivals such as Singapore in swimming and Thailand in combat sports, emphasising that learning from successful systems is necessary to raise overall standards.
“If we want to improve, we must be honest in our comparisons and willing to learn. Sepak takraw shows us that progress is possible when we do it the right way,” he said.
