THOMAS & UBER CUP 2024

Though, realistically, it is no easy feat for any debutant, nothing is impossible if they have the winning mentality of 'fighting till the end’,” he said.

"If possible, those competing for the first time (on merit) must have a target (despite) realising that they may not win. They must go all out to chalk a personal best in every event they enter... if can, set a new national record.

"Because athletes who qualify for the Olympics on merit for the first time may feel like they (are there only to) seek experience, but they must remember that the Olympics are held every four years... they may not even be able to qualify (for the next Olympics) because it is not an easy feat," he told Bernama recently.

Pekan emphasised that it is important for athletes to qualify for the Olympics on merit rather than as a 'wildcard' entry as this gives them the advantage to 'forge a name' in addition to being able to collect world ranking points to strengthen their position to qualify for the next edition.

He also hopes that all stakeholders will take good care of the welfare of the athletes to ensure they can shoulder the country's challenges in the next two cycles of the Olympic Games.

"Our athletes must fight to qualify for the Olympics on merit (because) if they go on a wildcard, four years from now, they may find themselves removed from the entry list as there will be many athletes from other countries who have improved.

"The athletes making their debut (in the Paris Olympics) are mostly young (and) must go all out to achieve their best performance so that they can compete in two more Olympic cycles... then they will earn our respect," he said, as a piercing reminder of the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

So far, six athletes - Bertrand Rhodict Lises (diving), Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif (sailing), Johnathan Wong (shooting), Ariana Nur Dania Mohd Zairi (archery), Nur Aisyah Mohd Zubir (road cycling) and Mohamad Aniq Kasdan (weightlifting) - have confirmed their places in the Paris Olympics.

Five of them - Bertrand Rhodict and Ariana Nur Danial, both 19; Mohamad Aniq, 22; and Nur Shazrin and Nur Aisyah, both 26 - will be making their Olympic debut.

Johnathan competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics but failed to qualify for the top-eight finals after only finishing in 28th place out of 46 competitors.

Asked if the prediction of chef de mission for the 2024 Paris Olympics Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin that at least 20 to 29 athletes would qualify for the Games, with less than four months left, Pekan replied that it would be difficult to achieve due to several factors.

This, he added, is because the national athletes have failed to perform convincingly and been inconsistent in the tournaments they have taken part in.

"I see that it is quite difficult for us to go with a large number of athletes this time, in addition to the fact that so far there are only five (qualifiers). Maybe if you add Datuk Azizulhasni Awang (cycling) and badminton players, you might be able to count 15 athletes in all.

"I feel that it will be difficult for us to send a bigger contingent this time as only six have qualified so far. Perhaps, if you add Datuk Azizulhasni Awang (cycling) and the badminton players, you might be able to count 15 athletes in all.

"There may be two or three going as wildcard entries, but who may not make it past the heats, so we can in a way discount this. So, even if there are only 10 who qualify on merit, (it's okay) because quality is more important than quantity," he said.

The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to Aug 11.

-- BERNAMA