With the Asian Games just days away, two of Malaysia’s middle-distance runners found an unlikely but familiar high-performance base in India, spending a month training at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) LNCPE Thiruvananthapuram centre.
Wan Muhammad Fazri, an 800m runner, and Umar Osman, who competes in the 400m and 800m, trained at the facility under Malaysian coach Mohamed Azarudeen. The month-long camp, organised by Malaysia Athletics, concluded on September 10.
For Azarudeen, a former Indian national team athlete and coach associated with SAI Bengaluru, the decision to bring his athletes to India was driven by one key objective — exposure.
“The first thing is exposure, to know what the Indian standards are. My main objective is for Malaysian middle- and long-distance athletes to see what facilities we have in India. The second thing is training and sparring with Indian athletes, which is more beneficial for them,” Azarudeen told SAI.
The camp formed part of a growing trend of international teams using SAI facilities as preparation bases for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to begin on September 19. Boxers from Nepal trained at the SAI Guwahati campus, while Iran’s Kabaddi players used the SAI Sonepat facility.
The Malaysian camp was facilitated after the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) approached SAI in July for boarding, lodging and training arrangements for the delegation.
Azarudeen, who was part of the Indian national team from 2020 to 2025 before joining Malaysian Athletics, said training in India offered his athletes a more relevant competitive environment than preparing in Europe.
“I didn’t choose any European countries or other countries with European standards where they compete in European championships. The Asian Games are a top priority for us,” he said.
The Malaysian runners also competed in the World Athletics Continental Tour – Silver Level Meeting in Bhubaneswar on August 22, giving them an opportunity to test themselves against Indian competition during their stay.
Azarudeen believes that interaction with Indian athletes can help his runners sharpen not just their physical preparation but also their race tactics.
“When they come to India, they can compete with athletes here, and moreover, it helps them improve their race strategies and the way they think about races,” he said.
The coach was particularly impressed by the SAI LNCPE facility in Thiruvananthapuram and its legacy of producing athletes who have represented India at the Olympic level.
“SAI Thiruvananthapuram is something very special. It is important to note the Olympians who represented India trained in Thiruvananthapuram SAI centre. That makes it special. I can say it is a lucky training centre,” Azarudeen said.
Beyond competition and facilities, the month-long stint also offered the Malaysian athletes an opportunity to experience the sporting culture shared by the two countries.
“The culture that is shared between Malaysian Athletics and Indian Athletics is something that has been memorable. It is a lesson for them that they will carry for a lifetime, and it will take them towards victory,” Azarudeen said.
The experience, he added, could pave the way for more exchange programmes between India and Malaysia, helping athletes from both countries raise their competitive standards ahead of major international competitions.
(Inputs from SAI)
