“Our
reason to have this get-together was to bring all the athletes whom we
were associated with, especially in the 1970s and to thank them for the
cooperation we received from them in our work,” said Das.
The first edition started in 2011 and the event last Saturday was the seventh.
Instead
of reminiscing about the good old days or being bitter at being
ignored, sitting at home alone, these journalists felt it was time for a
gathering where they could exchange their experiences - good and bad.
Some had pitch-black hair while most had shades of grey reflecting
their age. Some had to use walking sticks, a few were on wheelchairs and
most were on the upper side of 70 in age.
Some of them had
prefixes to their names – honoured for their excellence in their chosen
fields, but the majority were just plain Encik or Puan.
I
had the opportunity to meet many sportspersons whom I have interviewed
or written about during my early days as a sports reporter.
They
trained on their own or were trained by school teachers doubling up as,
unlike these days when coaches are supported by dieticians, sports
doctors, biomechanics specialists and even specialised cooks.
Then, many played or ran with improvised footwear and wore jerseys that had to be returned after use.
Their names were featured regularly in the back pages of newspapers with their successes in their respective sports.
Malaysia’s pride
They were not “jaguh kampung”
(village champions) but winners of medals of various colours in the SEA
Games, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. A gold at the
Olympics remains elusive.
There were at least three double internationals who had represented the country in two different sports - a rare achievement.
At a time when wearing the country’s colours was fame and glory, they played or ran for “king and country”.
There
was then little money for them in terms of rewards. Then, their
allowances were paltry - RM5 per day as training allowance and RM25 for a
game and perhaps, a bonus of RM10 if they won.
Surely, they
cannot compare to the current-day players, some of whom gain hundreds of
thousands of ringgit annually in prize money and endorsements.
Their
sacrifices have been forgotten by some of the rich national sports
associations whose coffers were supplemented because of the efforts of
these men and women.
If not for them, there would not be spectators which would mean no gate collections and also no sponsorship money.
The
Sports Flame event may have provided a platform for recognition and
appreciation for about 170, just for them in one single afternoon.
However, hundreds of others have been forgotten.
What about the Olympic Council of Malaysia - the umbrella body for all sports associations in the country?
Surely, they can undertake a similar event on a larger scale than what has been done by these journalists.
But when officials get VIP treatment at international games, so, why bother about the minions?
