The 33rd Olympiad.

Tuesday 13.8.2024.

Watched the closing ceremonies of the Paris Olympics on live tv. Imagine 33 x 4, that's 132 years, not counting the disruptions because of WWII and Covid 19.  Counting 2024 -132 means it was started in 1892, though I think it's earlier than that. 

Malaysia didn't come back empty-handed, though that's not much to shout about - 2 bronzes in the sport we were famous for long ago. You know, we used to excel in field hockey (to differentiate from ice hockey), football (soccer to the Americans) and of course, badminton. Now even India can teach us a thing or two about the new badminton game. And the Australians just whack us everytime in the new-rule hockey game. Even Japan got beat  by us then, in football.

They've changed the rules. To "their" advantage, of course. You score, like tennis, even when not serving, in badminton. You play on artificial turf and can "turn" now (illegal before) and smack the ball at head-height, also illegal before. Playing hockey on grass in the old days (that's why it's called that) the Western media, still at loss about Eastern names and calling Azizul "Awang", his father's name, would write: "India has won the Gold in field hockey with 11 players called Singh !"- ignorant about the Sikh's names. You had to have dribbling skills then, playing on grass. On the water-soaked astroturf, the big Caucasian simply take a huge swing and you buggers watch out !.

Before the statistics come out, let me point out a few of my own:

Race / nationality.

Look at the skin-colour. It seems the coloureds are overwhelming in their performances. The wise countries in Western Europe have for some time recognize this, and you have an increasing number of coloured athletes representing them. Eastern Europe is still holding fast to their own kind, but there's already change.

I remember at the Tokyo 1960 Olympics the Western sports journalists talking about the Negro "spurs" that gave the US Negro sprinters the extra "kick". These reporters should be given this "kick" instead.

Population / winning ratio. 

China has 1.4 people, yet the US with only 20% of that still beat them in the total tally. But India is bigger , and cannot even match China.

Malaysia has 32 million people. New Zealand has 25% of that, but won Gold all over the Games, especially, unsurprisingly. in the water.

The full statistics would be interesting to ponder over.

Strength vs technique.

This is the real issue for all sports bodies, everywhere.

The male decathlon champion was the smallest of the 3 on the podium.  The female German shot-putt champion ( 20 meters even) wasn't the largest in the field. The female Javelin Gold Medallist was also not the largest. These were strength tests.

The American-turned Swedish pole vaulter was way ahead of the Silver and Bronze medalists in technique. And he broke his own World / Olympic records at 6.25 m. That's almost 21 feet in the air!

Malaysia especially can benefit from this technique question.

Developing talent.

This is the key. Search for talent. Then develop that discovered talent. And by that it means: find the funds, and expose the talent to active competition.  New Zealand has world-class champions in practically ALL sports, with 7 million people. Go there and find out the secret.

As a start I suggest PMX (before he becomes XPM) get professional help here. Sports is one area we can promote Malaysia. The International investment should follow success here. 

Believe me.

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