The Press Service of Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) presents an interview with Ng Shu Liang, a coach of the Malaysian Men's Artistic Gymnastics National Team, who is participating in the training camp in Baku.
- You’re welcome to Azerbaijan. First of all, we would like to know how many athletes are engaged in Artistic Gymnastics in Malaysia?
- In Malaysia, more than 20 Men and Women gymnasts are engaged in Artistic Gymnastics among juniors and seniors. More than 20 gymnasts train in this discipline at our National Center.
- Why did you choose the National Gymnastics Arena for the training camp?
- We came here for trainings due to the presence of high-level Gymnastics facilities in Azerbaijan. There are magnificent sports facilities and wonderful people. You also have very good gymnasts here. Therefore, we decided to choose Baku.
- How do you appreciate the cooperation between the gymnastics Federations of Azerbaijan and Malaysia?
- Of course, there are high-level friendly relations between two federations.
- What can you say about the results of your gymnasts?
- Before coming to Baku, we participated in the Cairo World Cup. Some of the gymnasts taking part in the trainings here qualified for the finals on Vault and Pommel Horse. We came directly from Cairo to the World Cup in Baku to continue our training and stay here. Serious competitions await us. We will participate in the South Asian Games on May 13.
- Is this your first visit to Baku?
- No, this is not my first visit to Azerbaijan. We last visited Baku for two weeks in October. This time, we plan to stay here longer. More than about 14 days.
- What exercises do you do here?
- We do various exercises in Artistic Gymnastics. Our athletes train on each Apparatus – Floor Exercises, Pommel Horse, Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar and more. We try to test the strength of our gymnasts on all Apparatus.
- What are your impressions on Baku?
- Baku is a wonderful city. Of course, Azerbaijan has a different culture from what we have in Malaysia. This is a new city for me. This is my second visit to Azerbaijan. Every time I see that people here are very kind. It is a really beautiful city. In short, I can say that Baku is a successful city.
- How do you assess the conditions for gymnasts at the Arena?
It’s just spectacular. Arena is very beautiful. There are high-level conditions for Gymnastics. It is possible to train not only in Artistic gymnastics, but also in Rhythmic gymnastics, Tumbling & Trampoline gymnastics and other sports.
- Have you trained with Azerbaijani gymnasts?
- There are a number of strong Azerbaijani gymnasts among seniors. I like Ivan and Nikita. They are both very good gymnasts. Nikita recently won the Bronze medal on Rings. Since our first visit, we have established friendly relations with them. Our athletes train together. I think they are the best gymnasts in Azerbaijan.
- I wonder what gymnastics disciplines are most developed in Malaysia?
- In Artistic Gymnastics, we have a professional coach on Pommel Horse. This apparatus is better developed in our country. We have a good team on Pommel Horse, Vault and Floor Exercises. Our gymnasts don’t specialize in the All-Around, but on the individual apparatus.
Rhythmic gymnastics has also developed. Currently, our gymnasts are the first in the South Asian rankings. They are among the strongest among the Southeast-Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Our team in Rhythmic Gymnastics will take part in the South Asian Games held in Hanoi (Vietnam) in May. It should be mentioned that our Rhythmic gymnasts will also take part in the training camp here.