The initiative was launched in 2015 by Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia Khairy Jamaluddin following disappointing results from the Malaysian teams at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Incheon in the same year.

Malaysia returned from the Scottish city with a haul of 19 medals, which saw them finish 12^th on the medals table – their lowest position since the 1982 Games in Brisbane.

They then claimed 33 medals, only five of which were gold, at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.

In announcing the podium programme, Jamaluddin said they were targeting becoming a top-ten nation at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the 2018 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Jakarta and Palembang.

Imran, the former President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, is confident the system in place will help them achieve their goal at major international multi-sport events.

He admitted, however, that the focus was on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games but stressed the programme was not limited to the event in the Japanese capital.

“I can say that the Podium Programme is very good, but all the athletes must keep in mind that the final goal of this program (Podium) of course is to get gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020,” he said following a recent OCM Executive Board meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

At the most recent edition of the Olympic Games, held in Rio de Janeiro in August, Malaysia secured five medals – four silvers and a bronze.

Badminton proved to be their most successful sport as Lee Chong Wei earned men’s singles silver, while the pairings of Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying and Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong finished second in the mixed and men’s doubles events respectively.

Their other silver medal came thanks to women’s synchronised 10 metres platform diving duo Cheong Jun Hoong and Pandelela Rinong.

Azizulhasni Awang took bronze in the men’s keirin.