600 athletes told to stamp Johor brand, repeat Sukma 2022 success

ISKANDAR PUTERI (Aug 1): Johor athletes have been told to repeat the success of being champions as in the previous edition (2022 in KL) when the 601-strong contingent participates in the 2024 Malaysia Games (Sukma XXI) in Sarawak.

Head of the Johor contingent Datuk Pandak Ahmad said they however need to handle the pressure of expectations because they are not in it to just win for themselves but also for Johor’s sake.

“Johor is special in all aspects from economic development as well as in sports. Johor must be number one and we don’t want to just be called ‘jaguh kampung’ (village champion). In any field including sports, while other states see Johor as a force to be defeated.

“Take the example of football and how the opposition views Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT). So the same spirit needs to be instilled in athletes who carry the Johor brand.

“Athletes need to remember that they are not just carrying their own name, but the name and image of Johor,” he told Bernama when inspecting equipment and preparations of the athletes and officials of the Johor contingent at the Iskandar Puteri Velodrome here recently.

Pandak, who is also president of the Johor State Archery Association, said in that regard, Johor athletes are advised not to feel stressed or nervous about public expectations.

“Don’t be over-confident nor be too humble when people respect us. Don’t let anxiety affect your thinking and performance during competition. We have many Johor athletes representing the country, who were discovered from Sukma,” he said, adding that the Johor contingent will have 188 officials.

According to Pandak, who is 61, Sukma is Johor’s best platform for unearthing talents because the state has produced international athletes to represent the country in the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympics.

Among the Johor-born athletes on the international sports stage are Nordin Mohamed Jadi who comes from Muar and Umar Osman (Johor Bahru); cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Shahrom (Muar); shooter Nurul Syasya Nadiah Mohd Amin (Batu Pahat); swimmer Tan Ruoxin (Johor Bahru); and weightlifter Mohammad Aniq Kasdan (Segamat).

Meanwhile, according to him, Johor thus remained with the mission of finishing top-three, aiming for a lion’s share of the 488 golds contested, even as one of the state’s gold prospects has been lost since the canoeing event has been omitted this time.

“The Johor State Sports Council has since doubled its efforts in identifying other events that can add gold medals to the contingent. Let’s keep the events a secret, wait and see when the games take place,” he said.

At Sukma 2022, Johor made history when the state emerged as overall champion for the first time since the sports fest was introduced in 1986 when its medal tally of 77 gold-52 silver-43 bronze surpassed the target of 40 gold set for that year.

The sweet success was etched after Johor’s aim to host Sukma 2020 was cancelled (postponed to KL 2022) when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, even though a total of 39 venues were prepared including the Larkin Arena Indoor Stadium, the Iskandar Puteri Velodrome and the Larkin Arena Aquatics Centre. – Bernama