KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) is looking to increase the number of sports psychologists to prepare athletes for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the National Sports Institute (ISN) currently has only seven in-house sports psychologists, which is insufficient to meet the mental health needs of athletes during major competitions, including the recent Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“For every 10 athletes, there should be two sports psychologists. Right now, we have just seven for both the Podium and Pelapis programmes, meaning we are falling short in supporting our athletes' mental well-being,” she told at a press conference following a post-mortem session on the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games here today.
The post-mortem session was attended by representatives from the National Sports Council (NSC), ISN, Ministry of Finance, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, the Paralympic Council of Malaysia, as well as experts from Nippon Sports Science University, Universiti Malaya, and Sultan Idris Education University to provide additional insights.
Hannah also said that while some sports psychologists were dedicated to high-potential athletes aiming for the semi-finals or finals, others, including those working with para athletes, were often overlooked.
She expressed concern about whether current sports psychologists were adequately equipped to support para athletes with intellectual disabilities during the Games.
Meanwhile, among other issues raised was the need for more structured development programmes, more detailed athlete performance analysis and specialised equipment for para athletes.
As such, Hannah has requested the NSC to gather all reports, emerging issues and improvement suggestions that were presented during the post-mortem session.
She said the panel of experts was also asked to submit a report of observations from both post-mortem sessions, as well as suggestions for improvement to be discussed at the management level of NSC and her ministry.
On another development, Hannah said badminton and cycling, the two sports considered the main hope to land the elusive Olympics gold, had apologised for failing to deliver in Paris.
The Malaysian Olympic contingent ended their challenge in Paris 2024 with two bronze medals from 2022 men’s doubles world champions Aaron Chia and professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia.
The Malaysian Paralympic contingent on the other hand did not meet the gold medal target when they returned with two golds, two silvers and one bronze.
-- BERNAMA
