malaysiangKUALA LUMPUR, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has called for the ‘cold war’ between the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Paralympic Council Malaysia (MPM) to be resolved professionally to maintain harmony between the organisations.
She said the concerns raised by MPM president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin recently are not actually an issue.
“For me, harmony (between agencies) is very important for the development of athletes because they have shared responsibilities. That’s why we have all representatives on the NSC board so that if there are any issues, we can discuss them together.
“In reality, there is no issue. The situation arose when two athletes who were supposed to win gold ended up with silver. I believe the athletes themselves wanted the gold, but it didn’t happen,” she said when met at the closing ceremony of the Mini Para Athletics Championships under the Rimau Emas Programme here today.
Hannah believed the matter had been addressed by NSC director-general Abdul Rashid Ya
akub, who avoided pointing fingers when Malaysia’s target was not met at the Paris Paralympics, held from Aug 28 to Sept 8.
“If there is any misunderstanding, they need to sit down and resolve it together. I was there (in Paris), but Datuk Seri Megat did not raise the issue, so I don’t think it’s appropriate,” she said.
Hannah emphasised that this matter should be resolved through discussions, without involving the country’s para athletes.
“The athletes should not pay the price for any misunderstanding. We’ve sat down together with Datuk R. Subramaniam (Paris Paralympics CDM), who is also on the NSC board, and I believe that’s the right way (to resolve the matter), not through the media,” she added.
Earlier, Megat D Shahriman had alleged that NSC was interfering in the management of the national contingent for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, which contributed to Malaysia’s failure to meet the target of four gold medals.
He also proposed discussions with NSC to suggest that only one entity should lead the nat
ional contingent for future sporting events.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
