PUTRAJAYA, Jan 22 (Bernama) — The Youth and Sports Ministry is not setting any target for a gold medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012 yet but hopes the Malaysian athletes will achieve a better performance than in Beijing.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, however, does not rule out that Malaysia may win more than one silver that was won by national singles shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei in Beijing.
“One gold, possibly. But we have to be realistic,” he told reporters after chairing the first meeting of the Olympic Games 2012 Steering Committee, at the ministry, here today.
Ismail Sabri said the task of achieving a better performance than the one in Beijing would be left to the 19 athletes through badminton (10 athletes), cycling (five) and archery (four).
He said as an early preparation for the London Olympics, the ministry would sign a memorandum of understanding in March with two universities in London, namely Bath University and Loughborough University, to accommodate Malaysian athletes there to acclimatise themselves with the local weather.
The list of athletes for the London Olympics 2012:
Badminton: Lee Chong Wei, Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari/ Mohd Zakri Abd Latif, Wong Mew Choo, Wong Pei Tty/Chin Eei Hui and two others for the mixed doubles.
Cycling: Josiah Ng, Azizul Hasni Awang, Mohd Rizal Tisin, Junaidi Mohd Nasir, Mohd Edrus Yunus.
Archery: Cheng Chu Sian, Mohd Marbawi Sulaiman, Wan Mohd Khalmizan Abdul Aziz, Nazrin Aizat Mohd Nasir.
