KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Road To Gold (RTG) project coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam has given his assurance that the programme will not neglect the welfare of athletes under the project who are currently abroad including national squash players S. Sivasangari and Ng Eain Yow.
Stuart said the programme will provide the best support in meeting the needs of the athletes to help them achieve optimal performance levels, regardless of where they are training.
“Support programmes to help athletes travel abroad for training, environment, upskilling and improving their overall programme are available, we see that in Sivasangari and Eain Yow.
“So if athletes need additional assistance like this, I can bring it to a meeting to get approval…if the request is suitable for improving someone’s performance, 100 per cent support is given,” he said when met recently, here.
Stuart said the RTG line-up includes former national top athletes such as Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi and Datuk Nicol Ann David who will help assess support needed by the athletes.
World number eight Sivasangari is part of the RTG programme, while world number 13 Eain Yow is included in the Fast Track RTG programme.
Apart from Sivasangari, eight badminton players including world number two men’s doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, national women’s doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as well as national mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei had been announced to join the RTG.
Other athletes joining the programme are weightlifter Mohd Aniq Kasdan and track cyclists Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom.
The national women’s recurve archery trio Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, Syaqiera Mashayikh, Nurul Azreena Fazil have also agreed to join the Fast Track RTG programme. — Bernama
