Back in the late 80's, Malaysia used to have women's bodybuilding alongside the men's event's at both state and national level and we used to send them to international events too.Unfortunately there were some serious opposition by certain religious departments that deemed womens bodybuilding as inappropriate and so on.
It is such a shame that they mix religion with sports.So eventually, the local federation did not want to logger heads with those so called religious people and their organisation and made women's bodybuilding obsolete.Such a waste as I truly believe that Malaysia has some really good potential champions to offer.
In neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Phillipines, Korea, Japan and the list goeas on, they have actually such a good and strong womens team that has made it up to such high ranks internationally.
As for Malaysia, I have one very good example.Her name is Lilian Tan from Penang, Malaysia.Lilian moved to the States some 20 years ago.Currently residing in San Diego, California, Lilian was a huge fan of bodybuilding.Coming from a competitive swimming background I guess the transition to bodybuilding came relatively easy as both sports demanded a lot of commitment.
She put every ounce of energy along with a lot of sweat and tears into taking her physique to the next level.At that point, she had contacted our Malaysian federation about the possibility of representing Malaysia in womens bodybuilding and they basically said...No, sorry, we don't have women's bodybuilding here.They then gave her my contact number for her to reach me to find out more about other possibilities such as Musclemania and that's how we met and had a wonderful relationship develope over time.
Now I'm speaking on her behalf to the local federation about reinstating women's bodybuilding in Malaysia.They need not do an open event to public, instead do a selection and send the women abroad to compete and get some form of recognition.Of course the federation should cover the expenses for these women then as it is the only appropriate thing to do since these women will be representing the country.Anyway, the federation has mentioned that they will look into this matter at their next meeting which is taking place soon.
In the mean time, here's what Lilian achieved at her last show in 2004.She won her division and the overalls at the INBA Championship and was selected to represent team USA at the natural Olympia and came in 3rd as a pro.Watch the video clip and see what i mean when i said Malaysia has potential champs just waiting to burst into the scene.
Enjoy!!!
8 comments:
Interesting to see that a Malaysian has a pro-card in the US scene. Looking at the scenario Im glad Lilian moved to the US... one of the plus points is the competitive and more advanced environment there.
Great post.
do you have more info on her? does she have a website or a blog?
Anon...unfortunately she doesn't. Who knows...maybe down the road if she makes a comeback ;)
Hi Terry, does that mean she's no longer in the bb scene?
She's an inspiration, not just to women, but to guys as well!
She is planning to make a comeback if she's given a chance to represent Malaysia for international events....so lets pray that our local federation wakes up and smell the coffee...LOL!
I'll definitely be looking forward to her comeback! Note to self: buy tonnes of coffee and send to local federation.
I just saw Lilian and yourself on Majalah 3. U guys are so inspirational! Well done. It really feels great to see all the achievements thru a lot of effort put in. My daughters were full of wows here and there while watching the program. Best of luck!!
Glad that we inspire people out there. We hope to carry on doing what we love for as long as we can and provide our services to those who would wish to hire us as consultants and personal trainers. Who knows some day someone under our guide may just rise to the occasion and follow in our footsteps.
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