There has been quite a bit discussed about the closure of some Core Sports Centers and he involvement of the Ministry of Education in helping to uplift the standard of sports in the country. In order to have an insight into what Core Sports is all about, lets trace the history in the formation of the Core Sports Division.
Let's trace back to the very first time the Core Sports Program was initiated. It was in October 2004 that the NSC Board approved the Core Sports Program and it had seven sports, minus football. The proposal was then tabled by the current NSC Director General Dato Zolkples Embong at the First Cabinet Committee For Sports chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister on November 8, 2004 at Putrajaya. The idea was first initiated by the Sports Advisory Committee, chaired by Dato Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad in August and the then NSC Director General Dato Wira Mazlan Ahmad worked on fine tuning the proposal to be presented to the NSC Board and thereafter the Cabinet Committee.
The Cabinet Committee after deliberation increased the number from seven to eight by including football as it was a popular sport. Each of the sports was to have four posts which were full time salaried staff, paid for by the NSC. The four positions were General Manager, High Performance Coach, Technical Director and Development Officer.
The question that begs to be asked is just how many of these positions were filled or remain filled until today?
As for the involvement of schools, it was at that very first meeting that a decision was made to open up the facilities of schools to the public, in an organised manner for the purpose of Core Sports. Infact the Committee also approved the employment of former international/state players to be coaches at schools and be paid an allowance so that the standard of these eight sports will improve.
Was all this done? Four years later we talk about it again. And maybe, just maybe it will be done...
