PUTRAJAYA, April 15 — Pro men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia and men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik head the list of 16 athletes under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics (LA2028).
The announcement was made after the first meeting of the RTG committee, chaired by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh today.
Hannah said the selection of the athletes was made based on strict criteria discussed at the RTG committee meeting today, namely, being ranked in the global top 10 and having won a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
“We have identified athletes who are eligible to receive RTG’s support based on strict criteria including previous Olympic medalists and world top 10 rankings.
“Each athlete listed will be required to sign a commitment agreement with the government to ensure that the country’s investment gives a decent return. The money paid by the government must have accountability from athletes. They cannot arbitrarily withdraw or change partners ahead of the Olympics,” she said after chairing the RTG committee meeting at Menara KBS today.
Hannah said the RTG committee also announced new criteria for athletes under the programme, which is that they must maintain their position in the top eight in the world and win medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games for 2026.
In addition, the athletes involved also need to be ranked in the world’s best four and the top four in the world championships for 2027 and 2028.
Meanwhile, Yeoh, who announced a fund of RM10 million for the RTG programme for 2025 said the amount would be different for the next year depending on the announcement by the prime minister or the Finance Ministry.
Meanwhile, RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam said the RTG committee has given the selected athletes until May to accept the offer by the committee.
“What will be brought to the meeting in May is the confirmation of the programme and the confirmation of the commitment of the athletes. All the names mentioned from now on will be given serious attention,” he said.
The following is the list of 16 athletes in RTG 2025:
— Badminton: Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Lee Zii Jia, Pearly Tan, M. Thinaah, Chen Tang Jie, Toh Ee Wei, Goh Sze Fei, Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Goh Soon Huat, Shevon Lai, Man Wei Chong, Tee Kai Wun.
— Track Cycling: Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom, Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri
— Weightlifting: Mohd Aniq Kasdan
Fast-Track Athletes
— Squash: Ng Eain Yow Squash, S. Sivasangari
— Archery: Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, Syaqiera Mashayikh, Nurul Azreena Fazil
— Bernama
