KUALA LUMPUR: The late Datuk Dr. P. S. Nathan must be smiling down from heaven.
Dr. Nathan, who passed away at 90 on Sunday, has every reason to be pleased as bowling is arguably Malaysia's best-performing sport at the moment.
It's fair to say that the current national team are reaping the rewards of the hard work put in by Dr. Nathan and others, dating back to the formation of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) 50 years ago.
The stability instilled within the national body has allowed bowling to grow as a competitive sport.
As a result, Malaysia are now ranked among the world's best and the No. 1 team in Asia.
Malaysia wrapped up a highly successful Asian Championships in Bangkok with a record-breaking haul of 17 medals, consisting of eight gold, five silver and four bronze medals.
This dominant performance surpassed the previous best of 8-2-3 set by Taiwan in 2004.
As expected, men's and women's aces Rafiq Ismail and Sin Li Jane led the charge, securing four and three gold medals respectively.
Their Masters titles on Wednesday capped off a remarkable campaign.
However, despite the success, bowling has never been viewed on the same level as other sports, largely because it is not part of the Olympic Games.
To make matters worse, bowling was excluded from the delayed Asian Games in Hangzhou, held in 2023. for the first time since 1994, and its inclusion in the Sea Games is not guaranteed either.
Whether it will return for next year's Sea Games in Thailand remains uncertain.
This lack of recognition has forced the MTBC to scramble for budget allocations from the National Sports Council (NSC), fighting to justify its existence and relevance in recent years.
As a result, the budget has been drastically reduced.
Gone are the days when the elite team could travel to the United States and Europe for tournaments. This year, the team's budget has been limited to tournaments within Southeast Asia.
Even with this restriction, not all tournaments are fully funded.
For instance, at the recent Thailand Open in August, only the top six men and women were funded, leaving the MTBC to dip into its own funds to support others.
Some athletes even had to pay out of their own pockets just to be considered for selection for the Asian Championships.
Despite these financial challenges, Malaysia's bowlers have continued to shine.
Li Jane stood out among her peers, competing in the PWBA Tour in the US on her own and making history repeatedly.
She captured four titles, including a historic US Women's Open triumph, becoming the first Asian to be named the Tour's Player of the Year.
MTBC secretary general Maradona Chok believes they need no further justification to be accorded a deserving budget to run the national squad.
The impact of budget cuts has not been felt yet, at least for now, because the core of the current squad is built on the strong foundation laid over many years.
The likes of Rafiq and Li Jane have been developed to take over from Alex Liew and Shalin Zulkifli, but such good work could be undone if there's no continuity in the current training programme due to budget cuts disrupting the process.
"I think it's time we had a national development programme to ensure the continuity of the squad," said Maradona.
"We need a fixed budget that allows for continuous planning without the uncertainty of yearly cuts.
"If possible, we need to revive the stints to Europe and the US. It's crucial to compete against the best in the world.
"We understand the funding issues and do our best with what we have, but our bowlers maintain a high-level mindset.
"Internal roll-offs and domestic tournaments help keep our bowlers sharp, and the competition among them is strong because they are world-class."
Maradona said: "Also, our move to allow players to compete overseas at their own expense is bearing fruit.
"This helps build their confidence as they learn to handle pressure better. Competing with one's own funds is daunting and highly pressured.
"Our bowlers are all fighters. This is due to the national junior circuit and Sukma, where the competition is so close and tight. It creates that fighting spirit in all the bowlers. This is a culture; it can't be taught.
"Hence, this is what sets our team apart and enables them to dominate on such tricky and tough sets of oiling patterns during the ATBC. Other teams, I think, felt frustrated with the lanes and struggled to keep up."
Maradona added that the move to send a squad mixed with experienced and new faces paid off in Bangkok.
National youth squad members Izz Naqiuddin and Shaqeem Izwan Teh, who were called up in place of regulars Timmy Tan and Ahmad Muaf Fishol, were impressive at the Asian Championships.
In the women's team, the absence of Esther Cheah and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman was hardly felt, thanks to Gillian Lim and Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal stepping up.
"MTBC dares to give young performers a chance, not just relying on experienced players," said Maradona.
"This keeps everyone on their toes and prevents complacency. It's why we need a bigger team and to maintain those who are out of form — they could come back strong."