Shah still on the cycle of life

Monday, June 30, 2014 - Malay Mail
 

SHAHARUDDIN JAFFAR, having spent a lifetime in cycling, intends to give it a final fl ing in the twilight of his years. Since starting as a schoolboy cyclist in the 1950s, he has achieved virtually everything the sport has to off er — as national coach, administrator, international commissaire, entrepreneur, event organiser and ambassador.
Cycling is Shaharuddin fi rst love. While many his age — he turns 74 on Octocber 20 — would rather take it easy, he still has the burning desire to give back to cycling.
“I have been hooked on the sport ever since I rode a normal bicycle and fi nished second in a seven-mile race in Sitiawan in 1958,” said Shaharuddin.
“Together with my wife, Hasmah Ibrahim, who is an ardent cycling supporter, we have been involved in the sport all our lives.

Shaharuddin feeding the ducks at his farm. — Pictures by Mohd Izzul Elyas

One that is still fresh in his mind is how he turned around Malaysia’s fortune in the sport with just RM44.60 in the coff ers of the then Malaysian Cycling Federation when he became the secretary in 1970.
“If there is a will, there is always a way. As long as one practises honesty, strict governance and hard work.
“More often than not, things do not go well because of poor preparations and officials who are not sincere in their undertakings,” said the retired sports offi cer with the Sports Ministry.
Shaharuddin related an incident to underline his passion for cycling.
“I had opened a bicycle shop in Shah Alam in 2007 as I wanted to be associated with cycling even after my retirement. Unfortunately, I had to go for my bypass and when I came out from my surgery, the first thing I asked my wife was whether the bicycle shop was doing well,” said Shaharuddin.
Hasmah said: “I thought he was crazy talking about the shop when his health was more important.
“But that is Shaharuddin for you. He puts the sport above everything else.” Shaharuddin, however, had to close the bicycle shop after two years as some people who were helping him were not honest and his business was in the red.
Today, the couple stays in Shah Alam while their three grown-up children stay with their own families.
“I managed to turn a small plot of unused land behind the house to farm vegetables,” said Shaharuddin as he proudly showed the fruits of his labour — banana, jackfruit and lime trees and vegetables.
But his pride is the 50 ducks he is rearing for eggs.
“When my wife fell ill (diagnosed with fourth stage cancer in 2011), I was told by the doctor that a place with serenity will be good therapy for her.
“I decided to set up this small gardening area and rear ducks. The first 30 ducklings we bought died, eaten by dogs or went missing.
We then bought another 30 of which half survived. Wiser from experience, we bought another 30 and now have about 50 full-grown ducks.”
Shaharuddin said he collects about 40 eggs daily which he sells for some extra income.
“It is not so much the income, but as a hobby and therapy for my wife. We spend at least two to three hours in the morning and evening at the pond,” said Shaharuddin.
And as the couple spends time by the pond, they cannot help thinking about how they can get back to the sport they love.

ROLL OF HONOUR
# National cyclist: 1957-1970
# Asian Games bronze medalist (team) 1962, Jakarta
# Bronze medalist Asia cycling championships, Kuala Lumpur 1963
# First gold and bronze medalist for cycling
 # Competed in: Commonwealth Games in Perth, 1962, SEAP Games and Asia cycling championships 1961.1969
# Olympic Games (Tokyo 1964) as cyclist and as team manager (1972 Munich)
# Qualified as the first Malaysian international cycling commissaire 1973 and officiated at meets from 1973 to 2006
# Malaysian Cycling Federation secretary: 1970.1988
# Coach of Selangor and national team: 1969-1984
# Inducted to the Olympic Council of Malaysia Hall of Fame in 2007


ICONS FROM THE PAST
SATURDAY
JUNE 28, 2014  The Malay Mail



By TONY MARIADASS

SHAHARUDDIN JAFFAR, having spent a lifetime in cycling, intends to give it a final
fling in the twilight of his years.
Since starting as a schoolboy cyclist in the 1950s, he has achieved virtually everything
the sport has to offer — as national coach, administrator, international commissaire,
entrepreneur, event organiser and ambassador.
Cycling is Shaharuddin first love. While many his age — he turns 74 on October
20 — would rather take it easy, he still has the burning desire to give back to cycling.
“I have been hooked on the sport ever since I rode a normal bicycle and finished
second in a seven-mile race in Sitiawan in 1958,” said Shaharuddin.
“Together with my wife, Hasmah Ibrahim, who is an ardent cycling supporter, we
have been involved in the sport all our lives.
“Yes, the sport has come a long way since the early days, but it still has tremendous
potential and the young talent has not been tapped fully.”
Shaharudin won a gold medal in the 800m sprint and silver in the 1,600m sprint
at the SEAP Games held in Kuala Lumpur in 1965 — cycling’s first medals at the Games.
He plans to introduce cycling to schools and conduct competitions throughout the
country.
“I am more than able to give ideas and even organise it, but I need someone who
is reliable to work with, someone to come up with the working paper, raise funds and
knock on the doors of bureaucrats.”
He emphasised that participating in races is part of the training programme at the
grassroots.
Shaharuddin, who underwent a by-pass in 2008, is not afraid of challenges because
he has done so many impossible things in cycling.
One that is still fresh in his mind is how he turned around Malaysia’s fortune in the
sport with just RM44.60 in the coffers of the then Malaysian Cycling Federation when he
became the secretary in 1970.
“If there is a will, there is always a way. As long as one practises honesty, strict governance
and hard work.
“More often than not, things do not go well because of poor preparations and officials who are not sincere in their undertakings,” said the retired sports officer with the
Sports Ministry.
Shaharuddin related an incident to underline his passion for cycling.
“I had opened a bicycle shop in Shah Alam in 2007 as I wanted to be associated with
cycling even after my retirement. Unfortunately, I had to go for my bypass and when
I came out from my surgery, the first thing I asked my wife was whether the bicycle shop
was doing well,” said Shaharuddin.
Hasmah said: “I thought he was crazy talking about the shop when his health was
more important.
“But that is Shaharuddin for you. He puts the sport above everything else.”
Shaharuddin, however, had to close the bicycle shop after two years as some people
who were helping him were not honest and his business was in the red.
Today, the couple stays in Shah Alam while their three grown-up children stay
with their own families.
“I managed to turn a small plot of unused land behind the house to farm vegetables,”
said Shaharuddin as he proudly showed the fruits of his labour — banana, jackfruit and
lime trees and vegetables.
But his pride is the 50 ducks he is rearing for eggs.
“When my wife fell ill (diagnosed with fourth stage cancer in 2011), I was told by
the doctor that a place with serenity will be good therapy for her.
“I decided to set up this small gardening area and rear ducks. The first 30 ducklings
we bought died, eaten by dogs or went missing.
We then bought another 30 of which half survived. Wiser from experience, we
bought another 30 and now have about 50 full-grown ducks.”
Shaharuddin said he collects about 40 eggs daily which he sells for some extra income.
“It is not so much the income, but as a hobby and therapy for my
wife. We spend at least two to three hours in the morning and evening at the pond,” said Shaharuddin.
And as the couple spends time by the pond, they cannot help
thinking about how they can get back to the sport they love.

ROLL OF HONOUR
● National cyclist: 1957-1970
● Asian Games bronze medallist (team)
1962, Jakarta
● Bronze medallist Asia cycling championships,
Kuala Lumpur 1963
● First gold and bronze medallist for cycling
Shaharuddin with his gold and silver medals from the 1965 SEAP Games.
● Competed in: Commonwealth Games in
Perth, 1962, SEAP Games and Asia cycling
championships 1961–1969
● Olympic Games (Tokyo 1964) as cyclist
and as team manager (1972 Munich)
● Qualified as the fi rst Malaysian international
cycling commissaire 1973 and officiated
at meets from 1973 to 2006
● Malaysian Cycling Federation secretary:
1970–1988
● Coach of Selangor and national team:
1969-1984
● Inducted to the Olympic Council of Malaysia
Hall of Fame in 2007

Second-best got rewarded

Friday, June 27, 2014 - The Malay Mail

IT has happened! The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has rewarded the national team who lost the Thomas Cup final to Japan.
I had said in this column four weeks ago (Stop hailing second-best performances) that it would be a joke if the players were rewarded.
And last week BAM gave each player RM25,000 as part of their incentive scheme. It may not be a big amount to the association, but to many sportsmen and women, RM25,000 is substantial and should be hard-won.
So today BAM rewards the team for finishing second to Japan — which reached the Thomas Cup for the first time. Will it then reward the team if they finished second to the Philippines or Timor Leste in future?
What kind of standard is BAM setting?
These badminton players are professionals who earn wages. All their travelling expenses and accommodation are taken care of by BAM. On top of that, they get allowances.
And in open tournaments, they keep all their winnings.
I am not against rewarding, but it must be for excellence.
It is not as if we had never reached the Thomas Cup final before — the last time was in 2002.
We have won the Cup five times. How does finishing second to Japan make it special?
Even if BAM had a lot of money and wanted to reward the players for their efforts, it could have come up with a better formula.
It could have rewarded the players based on the number of matches they won.
How can a winner and a loser be given the same amount although it is a team event? Players should be accountable for their individual performances too.
But as long as we continue to give handouts, this culture is going to be detrimental to the progress of sports.
Maybe, BAM should consider starting a retirement fund for the players and contributing money to it. That would definitely be the better idea.
And if it really wants to show the players its appreciation, BAM should just give the players some pocket money, maybe RM5,000 each.
The coaches were excluded from the rewards’ list.
BAM president Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Arif’s statement that he did not want to set a precedent by rewarding the coaches is indeed puzzling.
He said: ‘As for the coaches, they are under contract and we will consider come bonus time. We do not want to set a precedent by rewarding them this time.”
Aren’t the players under contract as well?
If the coaches are paid bonuses, why not extend the same to the players? Why accord them special treatment? Didn’t the coaches play a role in taking Malaysia to the final?
It is rewards for second-best achievements that is spoiling our athletes and making them complacent. But now that the rewards have been given out, it will be impossible to withdraw them.
It would be generous of the players if they decided to share their rewards with their coaches, though. They could give RM10,000 each to be pooled and divided among the coaches.
But will that happen? The players should make it happen and show that they care about and stand by their coaches.
Tony Mariadass is a sports journalist with more than three decades of experience and is passionate about local sports. He can be reached at tmariadass@ gmail.com. Twitter handle: @tmariadass

Param pursues endless love

Published on Saturday 21st June(Saturday Malay Mail)

 

By TONY MARIADASS

PARAMALINGAM CHELLIAH, better known as Param, is a rare breed of sportsman who having played hockey, became coach has not stop giving back to the game till today.

Param, who will turn 80 on November 15, has not stop giving back to the game despite having achieved the highest honour of playing and coaching the national team at the Olympics.
An all-rounder during his schooldays in the 1950s at Anglo Chinese School in Teluk Anson (now Teluk Intan), athletics was his first love but he also played hockey, football, tennis, cricket and badminton.
However, a hamstring injury at the Perak AA Open in 1955, where he won silver in the 100 yards final, saw him switch to hockey.

Paramalingam going through some of the old newspaper articles on him.

“I was disappointed because the winner was to be selected for the Penang Open and at that meet, Ronald Perry clocked 9.9 seconds in the 100 yards race.
“Till today, I regretted missing that race with Ronald,” said Param, showing the silver coin he has treasured all these years. But what he missed in athletics, he more than made up in hockey as a prolific goalscorer, coach and administrator.
Param, working with the town council in Teluk Anson, went for a technician’s course in Johor in 1955 and it was there that he made his state debut in hockey.
He moved to Selangor in 1956 and went on to represent Selangor for 15 years. He represented the nation from 1956 to 1968, playing in three Asian Games (1958, 1962 and 1966) and the 1964 Olympic Games.
Upon retiring from the game, he went into coaching and returned for his ‘second’ Olympics as coach at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
But the pinnacle of his coaching career was in guiding the Asian All-Stars during their Asian and European tour in 1989.
Till today, no other Malaysian has had the honour of coaching the Asian All-Stars team.

Paramalingam at the coaching clinic every Sunday at Pandamaran Stadium in Klang.

“I'll remember it for the rest of my life. It was a great honour to be the only Malaysian to have achieved that honour," said Param, who is married to Navarojini Devi, a retired teacher, at his home in Klang “Hockey has been my life. I virtually eat, breathe and sleep hockey."
Param started playing hockey at the age of eight with a carved stick from a cherry tree, before his father bought him his first hockey stick.
While his contemporaries are taking it easy today, Param would without fail be at the Pandamaram Stadium every Sunday to conduct coaching clinics for children from the area.
This programme was started after lawyer Selva Mookiah saw Param coach a group of children and asked the latter to start a permanent programme.
Selva donated RM10,000 to get the programme started, including jerseys, shorts, socks and hockey sticks free of charge for the children.
Asked why he is still going to the field, Param replied: "As a youngster in Teluk Anson, I saw dedicated teachers like Sam Paramjothy, Goh Kim Beng and (former international) David Navaratnam impart their knowledge, which made kids like us what we are today. That day, I told myself I will give back to the game for as long as I can."
Among the top players whom Param had coached from young were M. Shanmuganathan, S. Sivabalan, the late Sukhvinderjeet Singh, Zulkilfi Abbas and K. Ghandinesan.
Param, who was named National Coach of the Year in 1999, had helmed the then Malaysian Hockey Federation coaching and selection committees.
He believes Malaysia’s prowess in the game will only grow if politics is kept aside, and emphasis given to development and tournaments organised for the age-groups.
“There is tremendous potential for Malaysia to become a world hockey power, only if we have our carts placed in the proper order and those who are knowledgeable and passionate about the game head the various committees,” said Param, who retired from the Klang Town Council in 1995.

The full version of the commentary.
The published version could not carry the full text because of space constraints.

COMMENTARY                                                                                  

Level Field

Hockey to rise from the ashes?

HOCKEY has been among the elite sports in Malaysia and is recognised as world class.

However, after the dismal wooden-spoonist performance in the recently concluded 13th World Cup in the Hague, the sport will come under the microscope and doubts will arise as to whether Malaysia is still considered world class or drop further down in ranking.

To start with, a target to finish a lowly 10th out of twelve teams is no target at all.

There was a lot buzz after the Malaysian junior team finished fourth in the Junior World Cup in New Delhi under coach K. Dharmaraj Abdullah, although his appointment had created some controversy.

However, the commendable performance of the Junior World Cup team, including having finished fourth in 1979, 1982, 1985 and 2013, has never continued at senior level.

The current senior team went to the Haque with a lot of false hopes and expectations were running high despite the low target set.

It was forgotten that Malaysia was back in the World Cup after missing two tournaments and last played 12 years ago.

In fact, all was not well in the run-up to the World Cup with national coach Paul Revington resigning due to stress-related illness – the second time he tendered his resignation. He had come back the first time to help Malaysia qualify for the World Cup finals.

But when Dharmaraj was appointed as his replacement, together with K. Gobinathan and Nor Azlan Bakar, there was a whole lot of controversy.

The final selection of players for the Hague was also hotly debated while in the backroom, the intrigue and heavy politicking the sport is known for continued.

In short, things were simply not right with the team, but everyone chose to ignore them for reasons best known to themselves.

Then, seeing Revington in the Hague as a consultant raised further questions. What was he doing there when he had already made it clear that he could not handle the team?

So, was Dharmaraj there to be made the scapegoat for the team's failure? Why did he accept Revington's presence? Was it because he was not confident of handling the job and needed guidance?

With due respect to Dharmaraj, he got carried away with the junior team's performance. The World Cup stint was definitely too soon for him.

The World Cup is the mecca for hockey gurus with the best brains behind the teams. Was Dharmaraj on a par with those coaches in the Hague? Was he intimidated?

Now, whether Malaysian hockey can bounce back in the next four years is left to be seen.

After having finished 11th in 1973, Malaysia clinched their best-ever placing in the World Cup – fourth – in 1975. The World Cup was then held biennially.

But home advantage - Malaysia hosted the 1975 World Cup – had a lot to do with it.

With the present set of players, all indications are that we have to work overtime to raise our standard to qualify for the next World Cup.

In the meantime, all the politics in the sport is not going to help.

Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah can bring in the money to manage the association and for its programmes, but if things are not handled professionally, it is all going to be wasted.

Now, with Tengku Abdullah having to divide his attention between the MHC and the FA of Malaysia, as its newly elected president, there is likely to be more trouble as more “little napoleons” will try to wield their power, which is only going to be detrimental to hockey.

Without doubt, there needs to be urgent surgery of the MHC and its affiliates to bring in new blood who have the game at heart and are professionals.

Players too need to buck up while officials and coaches need to step up their efforts to become world-class personnel.

Yes, we do have a few officials and coaches of calibre, but more often than not, they are drowned out by politics.

For far too long, hockey has been entangled in internal bickering and interference from outside parties and the sooner this is stopped, the better for the sport.

Hockey is among the sports in Malaysia that have hangers-on with their own agendas. These officials need to be identified and got rid of.

Several ex-internationals have commented on Malaysia’s performance in the Hague and hockey in general. They have valid points, but surely it would do better if they were actively involved instead of just doling out the criticism?

While some play an administrative role, there are many others who could coach, not necessarily at the highest level, but at least in schools or their neighbourhoods.

It is pointless to list what ails Malaysian hockey if one is not prepared to lift a finger to help.

In short, put your money where your mouth is.

It makes no sense to keep on talking about our fourth placing in 1975 because many things have changed since then.

For starters, the rules have changed, the game is played on artificial turf, the pace is different, sports science plays an integral part and with the game becoming more suitable to the Europeans, the Asians are finding it hard to cope.

However, the basics of sports – discipline, dedication and determination – remain the same and until and when these values are hammered into our players and officials, Malaysian sports will go nowhere.

TONY MARIADASS is a sports
journalist with more than three

decades of experience and is

passionate about local sports. He
can be reached at tmariadass@
gmail.com. Twitter handle: @
tmariadass

Malaysia’s performance in the World Cup

Team	1971	1973	1975	1978	1982	1986	1990	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018	Total
Malaysia	–	11th	4th	10th	10th	–	–	–	11th	8th	–	–	12th		7
Past World Cup Participation 1971- Barcelona – Did Not Qualify 1973 – Amstelveen – 11th Place 1975 – Kuala Lumpur – 4th place 1978 – Buenos Aries – 10th place 1982 – Bombay – 10th place 1986 – London – Did Not Qualify 1990 – Lahore – Did Not Qualify 1994 – Sydney – Did Not Qualify 1998 – Utrecht – 11th place 2002 – Kuala Lumpur – 8th place 2006 – Monchengladbach – Did Not Qualify 2010 - New Delhi - Did Not Qualify

Hockey to rise from the ashes?

 
Friday, June 20, 2014 - Malay Mail

HOCKEY has been among the elite sports in Malaysia and is recognised as world class.
However, after the dismal performance in the recent 13th World Cup in The Hague, Holland, where they finished last, the sport will come under the microscope.
There was a lot buzz after Malaysia finished fourth in the Junior World Cup in New Delhi under coach K. Dharmaraj.
However, the commendable performance of the Junior World Cup team, including having finished fourth in 1979, 1982, 1985 and 2013, has not continued at senior level.
The senior team went to The Haque with false hopes and expectations were running high.
It was forgotten Malaysia were back in the World Cup after missing the last two tournaments.
All was not well in the run-up to the World Cup when national coach Paul Revington resigned due to stress-related illness — the second time he tendered his resignation. He had come back the first time to help Malaysia qualify for the World Cup finals.
When Dharmaraj was appointed as his replacement, together with K. Gobinathan and Nor Azlan Bakar, there was a whole lot of controversy.
The selection of players was also hotly debated while in the backroom, the intrigue and heavy politicking the sport is known for continued.
In short, things were simply not right, but everyone chose to ignore them.
Then, seeing Revington as a consultant raised further questions. What was he doing there when he had already made it clear that he could not handle the team?
So, was Dharmaraj there to be made the scapegoat for the team’s failure? Why did he accept Revington’s presence? Was it because he was not confident of handling the job and needed guidance?
With due respect to Dharmaraj, he got carried away with the junior team’s performance. The World Cup stint was definitely too soon for him.
The World Cup is the mecca for hockey gurus with the best brains behind the teams. Was Dharmaraj on a par with those coaches in the Hague? Was he intimidated?
Now, whether Malaysian hockey can bounce back in the next four years is left to be seen.
After having finished 11th in 1973, Malaysia clinched their best-ever placing in the World Cup — fourth — in 1975. The World Cup was then held biennially.
But home advantage — Malaysia hosted the 1975 World Cup – had a lot to do with it.
With the present set of players, all indications are that we have to work overtime to raise our standard to qualify for the next World Cup.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah can bring in the money to manage the association and for its programmes, but if things are not handled professionally, it is all going to be wasted.
With Tengku Abdullah having to divide his attention between the MHC and the FA of Malaysia, as its newly elected president, “little napoleons” will try to wield their power, which is only going to be detrimental to hockey.
Without doubt MHC and its affiliates need new blood who have the game at heart.
For far too long, hockey has been entangled in internal bickering and interference from outside parties.
Several ex-internationals have commented on Malaysia’s performance.
They have valid points, but surely it would do better if they were actively involved instead of just doling out criticism? In short, put your money where your mouth is.
It makes no sense to keep on talking about our fourth placing in 1975 because many things have changed since then.

TONY MARIADASS is a sports
journalist with more than three
decades of experience and is
passionate about local sports. He
can be reached at
tmariadass@gmail.com. Twitter handle:
@tmariadass