Process of gathering RTG Athletes' needs will be settled soon - Project Coordinator

PETALING JAYA: The process of gathering feedback on the overall needs and wishes of the 15 Road To Gold (RTG) project athletes is expected to be settled by the middle of next month, said the project's coordinator Stuart Ramalingam.

He said that almost half of those who had been met had already expressed their wishes and desires in maximising their potential towards achieving the highest performance in line with the concept of marginal gains.

He noted that generally the athletes' requests are based on performance such as more tournament exposure, sports science support and nutrition, and all the information collected would be brought to the RTG Committee for evaluation and approval.

"We have met almost half of the athletes and some are still abroad. Regarding the meeting between Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, Lee Zii Jia (male professional badminton player) and I, it was one of the starting steps of the gathering process of the athletes' current needs.

"The feedback will be taken for consideration by the RTG Committee, the information received is very good, most of the athletes are very positive about the RTG project and the additional needs and support system that will be given...perhaps in mid-May (the collection) of the athletes' needs will be completed," he said.

Stuart, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Malaysian Football League (MFL), said this when met at the MFL Breaking of the Fast programme at a hotel here yesterday.

At the same time, Stuart said his side also held discussions with the respective athletes' coaches to ensure that all their requests were in line with what was required from a coaching point of view.

"Maybe from the (athletes) wish list ,out of 10, we can do five and take that in phases...for now I believe that we are moving in the right direction. I'm very positive with the conversations because all (the) athletes are looking at this from a very objective sense towards the Olympics rather than something personal," he said.

Meantime, he reminded the athletes listed in the RTG project not to feel too comfortable as those who show a decline in performance face the risk of being dropped.

He said the periodic review every two or three months that will be done later aims to ensure that the athletes who are in the RTG project always give the highest commitment and those who are outside the project have the opportunity to be included if they show improved performance.

"Athletes need to commit to the RTG project not only because of what they need but also what this project and the country wants, which is that the athletes give the highest commitment to the journey towards getting the Olympic gold medal," he said.

The RTG project introduced by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) last month is considered a national project with the objective of coordinating the country's efforts in hunting for the maiden gold medal at the Olympic Games covering the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 editions.

-- BERNAMA