Sports Cannot Be Separated From Education - Marina

KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Sports and education cannot be separated as both go hand in hand to shape a person’s character and development, national athletics sports legend Datuk Marina Chin.

Marina she said involvement in sports would not only create high-performance athletes but allow them to have continous learning that will help build careers after retirement, including being coaches and movers in the development of sports nationally.

"Even though I started as an athlete, I kept on developing into a coach and got involved in sports development and such. I learnt a lot during my involvement in various programmes and this learning process has never stopped,” she told reporters after the Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) convocation ceremony here today,  where she received an honorary doctorate in sports science from Sultanah of Terengganu, Sultanah Nur Zahirah.

The learning and development process for national athletes seem to be developing with more former athletes returning to provide their expertise in coaching, education and sports administration, she said, adding that the sharing of knowledge and experience is a vital step in improving the national sports ecosystem.

“I feel that when we learn, we also share knowledge and experience and try to improve the situation in sports wherever we see room for improvement. So, I feel in that sense, we in Malaysia is still in this process.

"This is because many athletes, like Roslinda Samsu, after finishing their careers as athletes, give back to the country in the form of giving lectures on sports science, being involved as coaches and becoming members in boards such as the board of the National Sports Institute and the National Sports Council,” she said.

The involvement of former athletes in various levels of sports administration and development will churn out more rounded and effective athletes in the future, she added.

Marina also noted that Malaysia had accomplished quite a number of achievements by nurturing world-class athletes in many fields, but there was always room to improve in other sports.

“My hope is to see Malaysia continue to progress and all sports capable of nurturing world champions. At the same time, we want local coaches to be of international standards,” she added.

-- BERNAMA