On the shelf or shelved?

Malaysian sports fraternity is known for attending international conferences, holding brain-storming sessions, setting up committees to address the ills of Malaysian sports and coming up with elaborate programmes.

However, what happens after that is one that baffles everyone. Nothing moves after all these sessions and books of programmes drawn up.

More often than not, it ends up on the shelves of the respective associations to collect dust. And when the topic of looking into uplifting the sports is raised again, they will set up another committee, draw up another programme or spend more money to send delegates for international conferences.

If only we had implemented half the programmes drawn up and ideas brought back from international conferences, Malaysian sports will not be where it is now.

Last week, the Malaysian Hockey Federation Management Committee chaired by Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah announced that a compulsory Under-18 league at State level will be introduced.

Kudos to MHF. But one wonders whatever happened to the Wawasan Hoki Negara unveiled in January 2006 by the then president HRH Raja Nazrin Shah. It was an elaborate plan drawn up by the best hockey brains of Malaysia and it certainly looked like a sure bet to see Malaysian hockey standards rise.

A 58-page dream

In that plan, a medal was targeted for the Junior World Cup which ended recently. But with the plans collecting dust in the MHF office, little wonder we are still struggling. Yes, we have the Junior U-19 league, but we cannot expect to get results when we embark on bits and pieces of programmes.

The FA of Malaysia's office, I am sure is full of programmes drawn up by both local and foreign coaches.

In fact, the FA of Malaysia unveiled a Development Programme for 2003-2006 at the FIFA Com-Unity Workshop in 2005. The irony was that the programme was lifted from the Vietnam FA!

FA of Malaysia's Development Plan?

Unveiled! The sticker on the word "Vietnam" removed and below, the sticker that hides the words the Vietnam Football Federation (circled in red)

Then, there was this Brainstorming session in 2006 in Kuching - one of the many held by the FA of Malaysia. Were the outcomes of these sessions implemented?

In 2005, a large Malaysian delegation from the Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Education, Olympic Council of Malaysia, National Sports Council, Malaysian Association for Physical Education, Sports Science and Fitness and senior university lecturers, attended the United Nations International Conference on Sports and Education in Bangkok.

The proceedings

The Millennium Development Goals

A 12-point agenda on Sports and Education was adopted after the three-day seminar and each nation was supposed to implement it. Did Malaysia fulfill it? (Refer to this story)

More recently, the 12th World Sports for All Congress with the theme Sports for All - For Life, was hosted by the Olympic Council of Malaysia. Even Sebastian Coe was present to give a talk. A great deal of information was presented and gathered on sports. But how much effort has been made by the Malaysian sports fraternity who attended the conference in doves, to implement what they have gathered?

A high powered Sports Congress gone to waste?

As long as valuable information just remains on the shelves and desks of sports authorities, Malaysia sports will continue to dwindle further.