Yeoh: Sports is not like 'baking cookies in the oven'

The country’s sporting ecosystem and its talents need years to nurture and develop, unlike “baking cookies in the oven”, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

Yeoh said this in an interview with BFM’s “The Breakfast Grille” programme recorded on July 29 but uploaded on the channel’s YouTube yesterday.

“For a year and a half, I want to see you get that gold back for me in Paris, if not, out you go. We change to another minister.

“Sports is not like baking cookies; 20 minutes in the oven and you can see the result. You know, the ecosystem and athletes take years to develop,” the DAP lawmaker said.

Yeoh was recently criticised over the country’s performance in the recently concluded Paris Olympics. Malaysia failed to bring back any gold and only managed two bronze medals in badminton.

Earlier, Yeoh was asked about claims that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration was slow to implement pledges made in the “Madani manifesto”.

To this, Yeoh pointed out that there was no Madani manifesto, as Pakatan Harapan and BN contested as different entities in the 15th general election, and only came together to work together as a coalition government after the polls.

The Segambut MP further defended Anwar’s subsidy rationalisation exercise, saying it has resulted in significant financial savings.

“Just by doing that rationalisation, we saved RM4 billion. A lot of people think ‘How much is that RM4 billion? It’s not a lot of money.

“RM4 billion is the Sports Ministry’s budget for four years.

“If I can have that RM4 billion savings for another four years, that is an exercise worth doing.”

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