Mas To Unearth New Diving Talents Through Fast Track Programme
KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Swimming Federation (MAS) will introduce a fast track young athletes programme to identify potential divers under the age of 11 for full-time training at Bukit Jalil.
MAS, in a statement, informed that the programme is one of the five components included in the diving sports recovery plan approved at the Diving Sports Working Committee Meeting last Thursday, as an effort to improve the sport's performance following a disappointing outing at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha recently.
According to MAS, 16 divers, consisting of eight boys and eight girls under the age of 11, will be selected by the National Sports Institute (ISN) through several processes such as talent identification, selection camps, and test evaluations.
They will be placed under the supervision of two full-time coaches for regular training exposure and participation in both national and international competitions.
"This group of divers is targeted to compete competitively in 2026, starting with participation in national junior events, the Malaysia Games (Sukma), and selected international championships.
"The target for medal achievement starts as early as 16 years old, at the SEA Games and World Junior Championships, aiming to compete for medals at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games at the age of 19," the statement said.
In the statement, MAS also identified four potential states to be designated as main training centres to kickstart a more comprehensive training programme.
The primary focus of state talent development programmes is to enhance facilities such as dry gyms and provide sports science and sports medicine services at the state level.
Furthermore, restructuring of coaching staff will be implemented in the plan, with a proposed three coaches for 13 athletes in the Podium Programme, three coaches for 15 athletes in the Development Programme, and two coaches each for the young athletes (fast track) programme and programmes in each state.
Meanwhile, training programmes for upcoming major sporting events such as the 2025 SEA Games, 2026 Asian Games, and 2028 Olympic Games will also be reorganised with appropriate difficulty levels set for each of the Games.
"MAS will also emphasise the introduction of Minimum Qualification Scores (MQS) at several selection and local championships to select athletes for major competitions.
"The MQS for development athletes is a minimum ranking of 24, while the MQS for podium athletes is at least a ranking of 12," the statement added.
-- BERNAMA
