The NSC of Malaysia expects between 25 and 30 athletes to qualify and participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held from 26 July to 11 August. If this number is achieved, it will be the same as the country's participation in the last Olympic Games for this Southeast Asian nation of almost 34 million people. 

NSC Director General Abdul Rashid Yaakub, said he was confident of surpassing this figure and reaching 50 Malaysian athletes in Paris, especially if the men's field hockey team qualifies for the Olympics after a 24-year wait. 

The last chance for the hockey team to qualify for Paris will be when the Speedy Tigers travel to Muscat, Oman, for the scheduled qualifiers from 15-21 January. 

The newly-appointed NSC director-general, who replaced Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, who retired on September 28, expressed his optimism along with the nation in the hope of seeing an athlete walk onto the podium with a gold medal around his neck for the first time, ending a wait of more than 60 years for the Asian country's first Olympic gold medal.

Malaysia has been competing in the Olympic Games since the establishment of the NSC in 1953 and was recognised by the International Olympic Committee the following year. They first competed in Tokyo in 1964 and have won a total of 13 medals in their history, including 8 silver and 5 bronze. 

At the most recent Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic), Malaysia had a delegation of 30 athletes and won a silver medal in track cycling from Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang (men's keirin) and a bronze in men's doubles badminton from Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yi. 

Rashid, 59, conceded that the country's gold medal hopes would be pinned on sports such as badminton and track cycling. "The prospect of winning a medal is certainly there, not just in the Olympics but in any major competition. To achieve this goal, the athletes need to believe in themselves, prepare well, and be equipped with all the necessary tools; the opportunity will be there."

Their medal chances are limited to badminton, track cycling and diving. Perhaps, Malaysia may have an option in precision sports such as archery and shooting, although it would be a surprise. Not impossible, but certainly challenging.

It is important to note that qualifiers in sports such as track cycling, badminton, and diving have until April or May to first qualify and then seek glory for their country in the French capital. 

In terms of the support needed to empower their athletes, he mentioned that the NSC will provide all the necessary support, including sports science, training, advice, and guidance to athletes who have qualified on merit and those who have the potential to qualify under the Podium Programme and the Road to Gold.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib, believes that financial aspects will not be a problem in supporting the quest for the coveted gold, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced a special allocation of 20 million Malaysian ringgit (equivalent to 4 million euros) for the RTG in the 2024 budget.

So far, Nur Shazrin Latif (women's sailing), Johnathan Wong (men's shooting), Bertrand Rhodict Lises (men's diving), Ariana Nur Dania Zairi (women's archery), and Nur Aisyah Mohd Zubir (women's road cycling) have all booked their tickets to Paris 2024. Many more athletes are expected to do so in the months leading up to the big event, which kicks off on the streets of Paris at the end of July.