Axing of Olympic sports, inclusion of capteh, upsets Malaysian minister

KUALA LUMPUR: - Malaysia's Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has labelled the South-east Asia Games a circus.

Incensed that first-time host Laos, who will stage the next edition in December, has dropped Olympic sports such as gymnastics and hockey, but included events such as fin swimming and shuttlecock kicking (capteh), he said the biennial regional sports fest will no longer be a priority for Malaysia.

By : Jugjet Singh


Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (third from left) talks to some participants after launching the Dataran Remaja in Bukit Jalil. — Pic: MOHD YUSNI ARIFFIN


THE Sea Games are a full-fledged circus and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday said it is no longer on the priority list for Malaysia.

WITH Laos hosting less Olympic sports in its 2009 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games program, a Malaysian official said it would be better to concentrate on other multisports events that focus on Olympic sports.

Malaysia’s sports minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob hinted that the country might not send its best athletes to Laos because of Laos’s inability to host as many Olympic sports as possible.

KUALA LUMPUR,(Bernama) -- The new year 2009 will provide more opportunities for national youth athletes to excel in their sports, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said.

By KAMARUZAMAN AHMAD




Call it an occupational hazard. National taekwondo exponent Che Chew Chan underwent surgery on her injured knees and has been told to rest between six and eight months.

Chew Chan who impressed at the Beijing Olympics by advancing to the quarter-finals had both her knees operated. She had postponed the surgery on her right knee prior to the Games and as a result her over dependence on the other leg caused her left knee to buckle.