In the aftermath of the spectacular underachievement of our national badminton team in the recently concluded world championships, I have decided to sit down and ponder about our beloved nation's overall mediocrity in sport. And I have come to the conclusion that barring a miracle on the scale of Jesus walking on water, we will continue to be stuck in this rut. Here are 10 reasons why:
(The list is in no particular order of importance by the way)
1) Our road and transport system sucks:
Huh? What the hell does the road and transport system have to do with this? Loads, I tell you. In fact, I would stake a hell lot that this is the main reason. Since it is so screwed up, our future world beating, butt kicking stars spend most of their time stuck in transit, no thanks to our world famous traffic jams. And they cannot walk to training either, because someone has not been maintaining our roads well enough. You cannot train well with an ankle screwed up from stepping into too many potholes right? Running or walking to training is also impractical unless you have a fetish for smog, which brings us to the next thing on my list;
2) Our roads, trails, halls, fields... hell anywhere is so chockful of air pollution:
This is THE main complaint for me. A budding athlete might lack monetary support, parental blessing, training aids..., you name it, but one thing he will not lack, regardless of his status, is air pollution. Wherever a budding athlete may turn, he will always be confronted with the familiar choking sensation of smoke, from the car produced goodness on the road to the cigarette inspired dizziness at his training hall. Personally as a runner, I am very incensed by the sheer number of cars on the road, and most of them with only a single haughty driver in them. Have you people not get the hint yet? Rising petrol prices means you do not drive your car if you can help it, stupid. This reason is only applicable if there are training sites to run to or get choked in though;
3) Dude, I lost my training hall/field/running trail!:
Another day, another field lost. To what or into what, you ask. Now this is where it gets creative, at various instances, my neighborhood field has donned the guises of cattle grazing ground, driving range, picnic site for some company function. It is still OK though, compared to what some other fields have become, low cost housing areas, shopping malls, dumpsites, meeting area for randy youths, breeding site for snakes et cetera. Fields are not the only nurseries for sporting talent that are lacking, some running and hiking trails have been annexed by entrepreneuring traders who have taken to doing business along these trails. Well, if anything positive has gone out from all these, it is that we Malaysians have a flair for adapting unsuitable locales to serve our own ends. I have a suggestion to rectify this though, clear a field, then label it a carnival ground, I guarantee that the only use it will get is as a football field. Sorta like the 'Polo Ground' we have now, except that it is a football ground.
4) The 'Waitaminute, you mean I actually have to stand upright to do this?' attitude rules:
I know we live in the cyber age where we can do nearly anything and everything virtually. Unfortunately, sport is not one of them, and I do not consider retarded cybersport as actual sport, just brilliant marketing. Obviously, the adage 'practice makes perfect' especially rings true for sport, where our future Tigers and Rogers must actually put in the time and dedication for their chosen sport. Too bad though, that our young actually get to experience what these two sporting gods go through a little to closely and a little too much, via computer games bearing their name.
5) Our politicians waste too much money debating inane issues instead of developing sport:
Recently, many newspapers have brought up the issue of setting up a forward base for sports in England. Of course, it also highlighted the typically differing views expressed by different YBs, and the arguments which followed. Most of the debates happened in Parliament, which is the correct outlet. But the funny thing is that this supposedly more learned folk took such a long time to decide on it. I mean, come on, go ask the man on the street for his opinion, and he will give a reply within 5 seconds, and 9 times out of 10 it will probably be the same. Yet, our MPs wasted so much saliva and taxpayers' funds talking about an obviously impractical suggestion, funds which can be utilised to fund our sporting pursuits. Suggestion: Cut the crap, even though you like it.
6) Our stadiums are too new and sparkling:
Yup, you heard me, they are too new. Not because the RM900 per month groundman works hard at maintaining our sporting facilities, but because they hardly get used. The administrators seem intent on making sure that their stadiums get as little use as possible. There is a nice stadium nearby with a great tartan track. Sadly, the track barely gets used once a month, simply because it is not open to the public. Even the state track team does not get to use the track except in the run-up to a big competition, having to settle for a grass track at one of the nearby schools. It is not like the track will be ruined from getting too much use, nor does it require detailed maintenance, unlike the cinder tracks of old. Perhaps they are afraid that we will steal some of the fixtures there, since the steeplechase barriers are so easily portable and all, and the market price for small bits of rubber track is rising. Riiiight.
Ok, that is all for today. But before you crucify me for not being able to count, this is just the first part, the following 4 reasons will be up tomorrow.
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