BELIEVE it or not, the pitch at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on a few occasions proved to be playable and decent enough to host megastars over two decades ago.

THE Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998, or KL’98, was a hallmark event symbolising Malaysia’s international graduation into newly industrialising nation status.

EIGHT passes, seven players, 20 seconds – and GOAL!The move that led to Syahmi Safari’s wonder goal in the AFF Cup semi-finals against Thailand almost six years ago became the highlight of the launch of the much-awaited Malaysian DNA in 2019.

THERE was a time when Malaysian hockey gave us hope. A few times, in fact.

IT was exactly 20 years ago that Bryan Nickson Lomas was interviewed by the renowned Time magazine in a city steeped in Olympic tradition.

LITTLE did I realise the five-minute conversation with Khalid Ali at the University Malaya Medical Centre a week ago was to be the final farewell.

WHEN our strategic thinkers in Malaysian sports felt schools were no longer the main breeding ground of champions, the idea of establishing sports schools was mooted to ensure the conveyor belt keeps on running smoothly outside the existing system.

ON Tuesday, the nation bids farewell to the outgoing 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, who shall return to rule his home State, Pahang.

ONE of the biggest challenges for the nation’s three biggest sports – football, badminton and hockey – is to cope with the stratospheric expectations from the public.

THE year 2023 was memorable for the Malaysian football team as Kim Pan-gon and his team basked in the plaudits after ending the year on a high note by becoming the third biggest gainer in FIFA rankings.

WHILE we take a moment to reflect on missions accomplished throughout 2023, there is no limit to what we can achieve the next 12 months.

TRIBUTES came pouring in as the nation mourns the demise of double Olympian, Datuk Krishnasamy Thambusamy, who passed away peacefully on Wednesday, at the age of 79.