Birmingham 2022: CDM optimistic seven-gold-medal target can be achieved

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's chef-de-mission (CDM) to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya is optimistic that the country's athletes will be able to achieve the target of seven gold medals at the Games.

He said this after meeting with representatives of the respective national sports associations during the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Selection Committee meeting today.

"I and deputy CDM Gerard Monteiro will soon visit the athletes at their training venues to take a closer look at their preparations.

"We will continue to work to raise their spirits and motivate them to achieve our objective, which is to bring home seven gold medals from Birmingham 2022," he told reporters at Wisma OCM here today.

Earlier, OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria announced the seven-gold-medal target to match the country's achievement at the last edition in Gold Coast, Australia.

Badminton is hoped to contribute two gold medals, while gymnastics, lawn bowls, weightlifting, squash and powerlifting are expected to chip in with a gold medal each at the Games scheduled to be held from July 28 to Aug 8.

In the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Malaysia finished in 12th place with seven gold, five silver and 12 bronze, while the national contingent's best achievement to date was in the 2010 edition in New Delhi, when it won 12 gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze.

Commenting on the hosts' preparations, Shahrul Zaman, who visited Birmingham recently, said everything was well managed there.

To date, the OCM Selection Committee has listed 95 athletes from 12 sports, while another 11 are still under consideration.

It comprises four athletes from track-and-field, badminton (10), cycling (6), diving (11), gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics (5), bowling (10), rugby (13), swimming (2), table tennis (8), squash (10), weightlifting (7) and para-sports (9).

-- BERNAMA