Do you remember when was the first time you watched the Olympic Games?
Whether it's through the television or your mobile devices, we can't deny the significance of this global sports event.
For some of us, it would probably be the only time we ever stay focused as we watch a sports tournament., especially when it involves our very own Malaysian athletes.
In this article, we will reflect on the milestones and journey of Malaysia in the Olympics — how far we have come and what we can look forward to in the future.
Establishing New Identity & Beginnings [1950s to 1960s]
Even though the first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece, it was not until 1956 that Malaysia (participating as Malaya) participated in the Olympics for the first time in Melbourne. That was 68 years ago!
Before we go on further, here are a few things for you to take note of in terms of historical context:
- 1956 was exactly a year before the Federation of Malaya achieved independence. Back then, Malaya sent a total of 32 athletes in five sports: hockey, shooting, swimming, athletics, and weightlifting. Two athletes from North Borneo competed separately from Malaya as a former British protectorate.
- Malaysia continued to participate in the 1960 Summer Rome Olympics as Malaya. There were 9 representatives (all men) who took part in boxing, athletics, swimming, shooting, and weightlifting.
- Our country would later go on to compete in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as Malaysia after its official establishment in 1963, this time comprising athletes from West Malaysia, East Malaysia, and Singapore.
- Singapore later competed as an individual country after it separated from Malaysia in 1965. That's why you'll notice a difference in terms of the number of athletes in the subsequent Olympic games.
Entering the 60s
During the 1964 Summer Tokyo Olympics, Malaysia sent out a total of 62 athletes, comprising 58 men and 4 women who participated in 10 different sports such as:
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
- Athletics
- Swimming
- Shooting
- Judo
- Hockey
- Fencing
- Cycling
- Boxing
The flagbearer for that year was Bala Ditta, a Sarawkian who was part of the athletics team.
During the 1968 Summer Mexico City Olympics, Malaysia sent out a total of 31 athletes (this time all men) who took part in four different sports — athletics, hockey, cycling, and weightlifting.
The flagbearer for that year was Nashatar Singh Sidhu who represented Malaysian in the javelin throw event.
Let's look forward to the final lineup of our Malaysian contingent for the 2024 Olympic games in Paris.
Image by freepik
Embracing Challenges & Unexpected Incidents [1970s to 1980s]
Now, let's review some of the Olympic highlights of Malaysia during the 70s and 80s.
During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, the Malaysian contingent comprises 45 athletes (42 men and 3 women) in these respective sports:
- Athletics
- Cycling
- Hockey
- Swimming
- Shooting
- Football
The flag bearer that year was Mohammed Bakar who was part of the football team.
It was the first time that Malaysia qualified and participated in the football event at the Olympics. The Malaysian football team played a total of three games, where they won one game against the United States, scoring 3-0.
Moving on to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, this time Malaysia sent out 23 athletes (all men) for five sports: athletics, swimming, cycling, hockey, and shooting.
For the hockey game, the Malaysian team finished in the 8th position out of 11 teams, beating Argentina and Canada from the same group.
The flag bearer that year was Ahmed Ishtiaq Mubarak who was part of the athletics team.
Entering into the 80s
1980 was a challenging year for Malaysian athletes because Malaysia decided to withdraw from the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. The Malaysian football team, for instance, qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics but chose to support the boycott against Russia's invasion of Afghanistan.
Malaysia returned to the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, sending 21 participants (20 male, 1 female) this round in swimming, hockey, cycling, athletics, and shooting.
The flag bearer that year was Sabiamad Abdul Ahad who represented Malaysia in shooting.
The last Olympic Games in the 80s was the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. The Malaysian team comprised 9 athletes (5 males, and 4 females) in five sports — one of the smallest contingent for the country, so far.
What was different that year was Malaysia's first-ever table tennis representatives, Lau Wai Cheng and Leong Mee Wan.
The flag bearer that year was Nordin Mohamed Jadi who was part of the athletic team.
Don't be surprised by the interesting events that have occurred during the Olympic games throughout history.
Encountering The First Ever Olympic Medal [1990s to 2000s]
The 90s was a glorious Olympics era for Malaysia.
During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Malaysia sent out a total of 26 athletes ( all men) in six sports.
The flag bearer that year was Razif Sidek who was part of the badminton team.
And guess what?
Razif Sidek and his brother, Jalani Sidek won Malaysia's first-ever Olympic medal (a bronze medal) for the badminton men's doubles competition!
The following 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Malaysia sent a total of 35 athletes in eight sports.
The flag bearer that year was Nor Saiful Zaini Nasir-ud-Din who was part of the field hockey team.
There were several milestones achieved during the 1996 Olympics:
- We have the first-ever Malaysia representation in two new sports — canoeing and sailing by Sal Ayob and Kelvin Lim respectively.
- And of course, the country's first-ever Olympic silver medal was won by Malaysia badminton doubles pair: Yap Kim Hock and Cheah Soon Kit.
- Another Sidek brother, Rashid Sidek brought home another bronze medal for the badminton men's singles.
Photo by Saif71.com on Unsplash
Entering into the 2000s
For the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Malaysia sent a total of 40 participants in 9 sports.
Malaysia did not win any medals that year but we saw first-time representations in the following sports: diving, gymnastics and taekwondo.
The flag bearer that year was Mirnawan Nawawi who was part of the field hockey team.
During the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, Malaysia sent a total of 26 athletes to participate in 11 sports.
Even though Malaysia did not win any medals that year too, it has the biggest sports representation (11 sports) so far— weightlifting made a comeback and we saw a new representative in archery.
The flag bearer that year was Bryan Nickson Lomas who was part of the diving team, the youngest athlete (at the age of 14) back then.
Then came the 2008 Summer Olympics, which took place in Beijing. Malaysia sent a total of 32 athletes for 10 sports.
After 12 years since 1996, Malaysia secured another Olympic silver medal when Lee Chong Wei took second place in the men's badminton singles after losing to Lin Dan from China.
In the meantime, let's always remember to celebrate the achievements of these Malaysian Olympic medallists who have made us proud so far.
Expanding New Talents and Records [2010s to early 2020s]
For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Malaysia sent a total of 29 athletes for 9 sports.
It was a memorable year for the Malaysian athletes for several reasons:
- Pandelela Rinong became the first Malaysian female to win an Olympic medal (bronze medal) for the female 10m platform. This was also Malaysia's first medal in the diving sport.
- Lee Chong Wei became the first Malaysian to win a consecutive Olympic silver medal in the badminton single tournament.
- For the first time, there was a Malaysian representative in the fencing event — Yu Peng Kean, who competed in the individual sabre event.
Moving on to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a fantastic year for Malaysia! The country sent a total of 32 athletes for 10 sports: athletics, archery, cycling, badminton, diving, sailing, shooting, golf, swimming, and weightlifting.
Fun fact: For the first time, Malaysia qualified for golf.
It was also a year when Malaysia secured the most Olympic medals throughout the country's participation history.
In total, there were five medals:
- Lee Chong Wei (silver) — badminton man's singles
- Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hoong (silver) — women's diving synchronised 10 m platform
- Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying (silver) — badminton mixed doubles
- Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong (silver) — badminton men's doubles
- Azizulhasni Awang (bronze) — men's keirin in cycling
Of course, we cannot miss out on the most recent 2020/2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. After a year of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia sent out 30 athletes for 10 sports.
Malaysia managed to secure two Olympic medals:
- Azizulhasni Awang (silver) — men's keirin in cycling
- Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (bronze) — badminton men's doubles
Malaysia's First Appearance At The Winter Olympics
It's also worth mentioning Jeffrey Webb (alpine skiing) and Julian Yee (figure skating) became the first and second Malaysian to ever qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
For the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, two athletes participated too — Jeffrey Webb and Aruwin Salehhuddin (both alpine skiing).
Get ready to be fascinated as you review the origin story of the Olympic games and its present significance today.
Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash
Empowering Malaysia's Road To Gold [beyond 2021]
The 2024 Summer Paris Olympics is just around the corner. Malaysia has secured a total of 13 Olympic medals — 8 silver medals and 5 bronze medals.
Will we get a step closer to our country's first-ever Olympic gold medal? Will it be from badminton or another sport?
Regardless of whether you're an avid Olympic viewer or not, this could be a good period to learn a new sport, even as a leisure activity.
If you're not sure what to pick or where to find a sports tutor, we highly recommend you to browse through the Superprof Malaysia homepage to find an experienced tutor. You could easily connect with a tutor after browsing through their profiles and reviewing their basic information (hourly rates, teaching mode, physical location).
As you learn a new sport, you can't help but feel more immersed and involved as you watch the actual sports events like the upcoming Olympic games.
Let's root for our Malaysian contingent who will be competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from July to August soon.
As the French say, bonne chance! Wishing them good luck and all the best!
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