BANGKOK: Squash remains Malaysia’s most dominant sport at the SEA Games, while cycling, especially sprint events, shows strong potential at the Asian and world levels, says National Sports Council (MSN) director-general Jefri Ngadirin.
He said Malaysia has continued to assert its dominance in squash at the SEA Games since 2015, despite often fielding third-line or developmental players, highlighting the depth and strength of the country’s squash development system.
“In squash, we have consistently sent developmental players to the SEA Games, yet we remain very dominant at the regional level,” he said, noting that some competing nations do not possess similar depth in their squads.
Jefri explained that Malaysia’s top squash players are typically channelled towards higher-level competitions and Olympic qualification pathways, as only a limited number of athletes are eligible to qualify for the Olympic Games due to quota restrictions.
“For the Olympics, only a small number of athletes have realistic qualification opportunities. At the moment, our prospects include Sivasangari Subramaniam, Ng Eain Yow, Aira Azman and Aifa Azman,” he said.
He added that cycling has also shown encouraging progress, particularly in sprint events, with the men’s sprint team winning a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games two years ago.
According to Jefri, recent improvements in race strategies, performance standards and record-breaking efforts indicate that Malaysia has a genuine opportunity to compete strongly beyond the regional stage.
“We already have a pipeline of backup riders ready to step up, which makes this a very valuable programme for the country,” he said.
