JAKARTA - The Malaysian contingent has a high target at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi. Unlike Indonesia, which is without a target in the medal standings, Malaysia is aiming for the top three positions.
This target was conveyed by the Chef de Mission (CdM) of the Malaysian Contingent, Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad.
"We are targeting the top three. They (athletes) must respect what the government has issued and it is time for them to come back with medals," said Datuk Nur Azmi as quoted by Antara from Bernama, Tuesday, April 19.
He said the lack of international competition for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic was not an excuse for the Malaysian contingent not to excel. According to him, athletes around the world, including from countries that took part in the Hanoi SEA Games also suffered the same fate and it all depends on the high commitment of each athlete.
The Malaysian Olympic Council will send 818 delegates, consisting of 612 athletes and 206 officials. They will go down in 37 sports out of 40 competed.
The three sports that Malaysia does not participate in are handball, Vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts) and wrestling.
Of the total 612 athletes, 377 of them were male and 235 female athletes. They will join more than 7,000 athletes from 10 other countries at the Hanoi SEA Games which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If Malaysia is aiming for the top three positions, it will not be the case with Indonesia. The Red and White contingent actually made this event a "warm-up" towards the 2024 Olympics.
Deputy Chief de Misson (CdM), Tubagus Ade Lukman said, the SEA Games this time was an intermediate target of the Indonesian contingent being prepared for the 2024 Paris Olympics later.
"So we are not targeting the number of medals of any kind, because this target is the preparation of the Indonesian team, Indonesian elite athletes to go to the Olympics," he said when contacted by VOI, some time ago.
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