Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia must craft and implement a bold, holistic national sports policy to trigger a quantum leap in athletic performance on the international stage, said outgoing Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Mohd Najib.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Nazifuddin stated that the existing sports development ecosystem is no longer sufficient to sustain or elevate Malaysia’s sporting achievements, particularly in producing a new generation of top-tier athletes. He emphasized the need for a serious and comprehensive sports policy to achieve better results, cautioning that without such measures, the sports scene would remain stagnant or possibly decline.

Nazifuddin expressed concern over the limited talent pool, suggesting that many potential athletes remain undiscovered due to a lack of nurturing and appropriate platforms for growth. He highlighted the importance of the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) and 2027 SEA Games as key opportunities to identify and develop new talent among the country’s youth.

He noted that these events could serve as a springboard for new champions, potentially leading to their participation in future editions of the Asian Games and Olympics. Nazifuddin will step down as OCM secretary-general on April 19, having held the position since 2018, and previously served as an OCM vice-president from 2015 to 2017.