ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor is targeting to win at least 50 gold medals in the upcoming Malaysia Games (Sukma), 10 more than its initial target.
The Johor Sports Council previously set a target of at least 40 gold medals but Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has now told the state’s athletes to aim for 50 to 55 gold medals to come out on top in the Games.
“I will also hold discussions with the state secretary and exco members about increasing the incentives to our medal-winning athletes as a form of motivation for them.
“However, the incentives should not be the sole motivation or measurement of their success,” said Onn Hafiz before handing over the state’s flag to the Johor Sukma contingent at the Iskandar Puteri City Council building here on Tuesday (Sept 6).
He believed the athletes are well prepared for the Games and have been since before 2020 when Johor was supposed to be the host for the 20th installation of the sporting event.
The programme was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.
For the previous Sukma in 2018, the Johor government rewarded athletes who won gold medals with RM3,000 each, silver with RM2,500 and bronze with RM1,500 each.
For team sports, the athletes were rewarded with RM1,500 to RM2,000 (gold), RM1,000 to RM1,500 (silver) and RM750 to RM1,000 (bronze) depending on the categories.
This time round, a total of 526 athletes, led by chief de mission Datuk Mohamad Najib Samuri, would be representing Johor for Sukma held from Sept 16 until 24 in Kuala Lumpur.
The athletes are set to compete in 426 events in 31 sports including canoeing, athletics, cycling, aquatic and shooting.
Johor Youth, Sports, Entrepreneurs’ Development, Cooperatives, and Human Resources committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the state contingent would try their best to achieve the new KPI (key performance index) set by the mentri besar.
He added that they were confident about winning medals in events like canoeing and football.
