Malaysia Lose To Chelsea
SHAH ALAM, July 29 (Bernama) - The national selection team lost 0-2 to Chelsea in a friendly match at the Shah Alam Stadium here Tuesday night.
First Half: Malaysia 0 Chelsea 1
Scorers: Chelsea: Nicholes Anelka (30th minute), Ashley Cole (52nd minute)
Teams:
MALAYSIA SELECTION: Mohd Elmi Eliza Elias, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak (S.Subramanian), Irwan Fadzli Idrus (Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar), Mohd Fauzie Nan (Shafizan Hashim), Mohd Amirulhadi Zainalv(Mohd Nizaruddin Yusof), Mohd Hardi Jaafar (Zairo Anuar Zailani), Indra Putra Mahayuddin (Ashari Samsuddin), Mohd Syukor Adan (Azi Shahril Azmi), Mohd Safee Sali (Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak), Hairuddin Omar (Mohd Khyril Muhyameen Zambri)
CHELSEA: Petr Cech (Carlo Cudicini), John Terry (Branislav Ivanovic), Ricardo Carvalho (Alex), Wayne Bridge, Deco (Andriy Shevchenko), Michael Essien, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright Philips, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard (Scott Sinclair), Nicholes Anelka (Franco Di Santo)
Referee: Subkhiddin Salleh (Malaysia)
-- BERNAMA
Shuttlers Can Help Realise Olympics Gold Target, Says Bam President
"We have a very good chance of winning the gold medal this time. We have good players... if they play hard and they can manage their games well, there is no reason they cannot get the gold.
"However, we have to be cautious not to put undue pressure on them. They have enough pressure as it is. For the Olympics, they have to put a little extra effort. They have to push themselves to the fullest," Nadzmi told reporters after receiving a banner with motivational words from Malaysian supporters which was presented to the team by 100Plus at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara here Tuesday.
Malaysia's men's challenge in Beijing will be shouldered by Lee Chong Wei and Wong Choon Hann in the singles and the pairs of Koo Kien Keat, Tan Boon Heong and Lee Wan Wah, Choong Tan Fook in the doubles.
For the women, Wong Mew Choo will do battle in the singles while the pair of Wong Pei Tty, Chin Ee Hui will see doubles action.
The players leave for Beijing on Aug 5.
-- BERNAMA
National Divers All Primed For Beijing
Bryan Nickson Lomas, who made the semi-finals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, said he hoped to do better this time around following a month-long training stint in China.
"The China stint helped me focus on my training without any distractions," he told reporters after attending a sponsorship event at the Olympic Council of Malaysia's office here today. At the function, shoe manufacturer BATA sponsored the sports shoes to be worn by the national athletes at the Beijing Olympics.
Lomas urged Malaysians to pray for the national divers' success.
For Leong Mun Yee, who has taken part in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the Athens Games, she said that she had gone through intensive training for Beijing and was now concentrating on last minute preparations.
"I hope to improve on my performance at Athens," she said.
As for Pandelela Rinong anak Pamg, who will be making her Olympics debut in Beijing, she said being a first-timer, she was rather nervous but would give her best.
Bryan is the country's sole men's representative in diving and will be competing in the 10m platform while Mun Yee, Pandelela and another national diver Elizabeth Jimie will compete in the women's 3m platform.
They are scheduled to leave for Beijing with the national swimmers and archers on Aug 3.
-- BERNAMA
Nicol Eyes Sixth Title
By Dan Guen Chin
SINGAPORE, July 29 (Bernama)-- Five already in the bag and Datuk Nicol David has title No 6 in her sights as the CIMB Singapore Women's Squash Masters gets underway at the Kallang Centre Tuesday.
Seeded No 1 in the championship, Nicol is the defending champion and the raging favourite to pick up her sixth title of the season following her triumphs in the Apawamis Open in New York; the KL Open; Seoul Open; the British Open and last week the Malaysian Open.
That is if all goes well and according to plan.
The Penang-born World No 1 faces unseeded Engy Kheirallah of Egypt in the opening round of the main draw on Wednesday before a possible showdown with England's Jenny Duncalf, the world No 6 in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
And like in all the previous five tournaments, there is the World No 2 Natalie Grinham lying in wait if both of them - Nicol and Natalie - make it that far.
"It's never easy at the top. Everybody is out to get you. And there isn't much difference in standards among the top twelve in the world. So I have to be on my toes all the time and, believe me, there is a lot of hard work to be done out there.
"People say it looks easy for me but it is not," said Nicol at the Press Conference to launch the US$53,5000 (RM172,000) tournament here Tuesday.
The key to her success, she admits, is her ability to stick to her game plan, no matter what. More so with the new 11-point scoring system.
"All of us are still learning to get used to the new system and at times it's easy to get carried away, especially in the opening few points. You think there are more points to be earned, so you are not so worried but at times the game can just slip away from you.
"But the 11-point system is good for the spectators. It gets more exciting and nothing can be taken for granted," added Nicol.
For the rest of the field, especially the Grinham sisters, Natalie and Rachael, the No 3 seed, there is a lot of catching up to do as far as the chase for Nicol's crown is concerned.
-- BERNAMA
Jurulatih Xui Hui Iringi Amirul Ke Olimpik
Setiausaha Kehormat MOM, Datuk Sieh Kok Chi berkata atlet angkat berat negara itu akan turut diiringi seorang pengurus pasukan.
"Amirul tidak lagi keseorangan kerana beliau akan ditemani oleh jurulatih dan saya telah pun memaklumkan perkara ini kepada Persatuan Angkat Berat Malaysia (PABM)," katanya kepada pemberita ketika menghadiri majlis penyerahan kasut sukan yang ditaja oleh syarikat pengeluar kasut, BATA, kepada atlet Olimpik negara di sini hari Selasa.
Sementara itu, Setiausaha Persekutuan Angkat Berat Malaysia (PABM), Lt Komander Suhaimi Khamis berkata beliau telah memaklumkan perkara berkenaan kepada Amirul.
"Setelah dimaklumkan perkara ini, Amirul kini kembali bersemangat untuk meneruskan latihannya ke Olimpik," katanya ketika dihubungi oleh Bernama.
Amirul kini berada pada tempat 15 teratas dalam kedudukan dunia dan pernah memenangi tiga pingat emas ketika beraksi dalam temasya Sukan Komanwel di Manchester pada 2002.
-- BERNAMA
China Sediakan Kemudahan Bertaraf Enam Bintang, Kata Dr. Kelvin Lim
Perkara itu dinyatakan dalam e-mailnya kepada Chief de Mission negara Datuk Ho Kok Chye yang memuji kemudahan penginapan dan infrastruktur bagi atlet di Qingdao setelah tiba semalam dengan ditemani dua anggota sekretariat Olimpik.
"Daripada makluman yang saya perolehi, segala kemudahan yang disediakan oleh penganjur adalah amat memuaskan dan saya harap kita tidak akan menghadapi banyak masalah apabila berada disana nanti," kata Ho kepada pemberita di sini hari ini.
Olimpik Beijing bulan depan merupakan penampilan keempat bagi Kelvin Lim dalam acara sukan pelayaran.
Ho berkata rombongan kedua atlet Olimpik negara yang terdiri daripada atlet renang, terjun dan memanah dijadualkan bertolak pada 3 Ogos ini diikuti dengan rombongan ketiga yang melibatkan skuad badminton negara pada 5 Ogos ini.
"Setakat ini kita tidak mempunyai masalah dan semua persiapan logistik berjalan dengan lancar, "katanya.
-- BERNAMA
Semi-finals on Mun Yee's mind
CONSISTENCY is the worrying factor on Leong Mun Yee's (pic) mind as she inches towards her third Olympic appearance in two weeks' time.
Some factors, like her familiarity with Beijing's spanking state-of-the-art 'Water Cube' that will host the Olympic diving events will work in her favour but on paper Mun Yee realises she is a rank outsider.
Mun Yee, along with those in the Olympic diving squad, have tasted action in the Water Cube in the World Cup leg held there in in March.
"Right now, the degree of difficulty (DD) of my dives remain the same. And there's not much more we can do in training. It is just about the consistency in every dive," said Mun Yee.
The diving squad completed their centralised training programme with a 36-day stint in Kunming, China, which ended last Wednesday.
"All the important stuff was done there. So, right now it is about just keeping everything in place. After two previous Olympics, my simple dream now is to just make the semi-finals because I've never managed it before," added Mun Yee.
Only the 18 most elite divers in the world cut it as Olympic semi-finalists, and that, with Mun Yee ranking consistently among the top 20 in World Cups, should be within striking distance.
"I'm not going to increase the DD as my hardest dives are at 3.0 and the most we can go is 3.1. I will just try to maintain the consistency to complete good dives in every round."
The diving squad, which also includes Bryan Nickson Lomas, Pandelela Rinung and Elizabeth Jimie, leave for Beijing on Sunday.
Nicol in fine fettle for Singapore
FRESH from her Malaysian Open triumph, Nicol David (pic) begins her quest for a second straight Singapore Masters crown at the Kallang Squash Centre today.
Fourth seed Tania Bailey of England should await Nicol in the semi-finals ahead of another meeting with World No 2 Natalie Grinham of the Netherlands on the cards in the final.
Nicol, 25, who has won all five Wispa Tour tournaments she played this year in addition to winning the Asian Championship individual and team titles, is in fiery mood.
After several lacklustre performances in the early stages of the Malaysian Open, the Singapore Masters defending champion demolished Natalie in one of her most convincing performances against her closest rival.
“It is a different tournament and I'm so looking forward to Singapore.
“I've had a good tournament (at the Malaysian Open) and now I have to start afresh and get ready to go again,” said Nicol after clinching her fourth straight Malaysian Open title on Saturday.
The Singapore Masters is one of two tournaments — the other being the Dutch Open — that Nicol will use to prepare for her bid to regain the World Open crown in Manchester, England in October.
“I think this is a good build up (to the World Open) and there's enough tournaments for me to prepare. I don't want to overdo it (by playing too much).
“I've got to put myself in a position to be ready for Manchester,” added Nicol, who is unbeaten in 30 matches on the Wispa Tour since her second round exit at last year's World Open in Madrid, Spain.
Meanwhile, Ong Beng Hee and Azlan Iskandar, the Malaysian Open men's winner and runner-up respectively, will also be in action at the new Petrosport Open in Cairo, Egypt today.
The drawfor the tournament will only be done after the completion of the qualifying round scheduled for late yesterday with Beng Hee and Azlan, seeded seventh and eighth respectively, both hoping to avoid being drawn in Egyptian World No 1 Amr Shabana's half.
AFC House moving from Malaysia?
MOHAMMED HAMMAM
THE Asian Football Confederation is seriously considering moving its headquarters, AFC House, from Bukit Jalil on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, to another Asian country.
Should this happen, Malaysian football and its links with the AFC could suffer serious cons e q u e n c e s.
Taken by surprise, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, an AFC vice-president, has sent a letter of dissatisfaction to Hammam and requested him to explain the reasons for the m ove .
“I do not want to comment on anything right now, it is best that the AFC president explains,” said Tengku Abdullah yesterday.
Timesport visited the AFC yesterday and learnt that the staff, who were in a state of shock, were told not to speak to anyone regarding the intended move.
But one exco member said: “Yes, we discussed moving the AFC House out from Malaysia. It was the president’s idea, but the committee felt that the congress should decide on the matter.
“Tengku Abddullah was very upset but we have to discuss this further.” He added: “We don’t know what the reason is but we gather it is because of the lack of (Malaysian) government support. I can't say anything more.” Worawi Makudi, a senior exco member of the AFC and Fifa, when contacted, said: “T h at is the president's proposal but I think it's best that the media talk to him. I can't comment.” But another AFC member, Vernon Manilal Fernando thinks that there is nothing toworry about.
“I don't think it is something to be worried about. We will see how it goes.” he said.
“I think the president wants commitment from the government on issues such as tax exemption and other related matters,” said another exco member.
“For me, AFC House should remain in Malaysia as the facilities and infrastructure are excellent. Also,we have spent a lot of money here,” he added.
Sports Minister, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob, when contacted said: “Iamnot aware of the issue relating to government support, but my office is always open to the AFC or any other association to discuss problems or if help is needed.” The relationship between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the AFC of late has been luke warm at best.
It is reliably learnt that Singapore, Thailand and Australia are keen on hosting the AFC House.
But it is imperative that Mohammed Hammam give his reasons for even thinking of moving, simply because Malaysia has committed much to the AFC, including subsiding the land where AFC House sits on today.
Chong Wei can end gold drought
BA of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Nadzmi Salleh believes the national players who will be going to Beijing are well prepared and on the right track to win a medal in next month's Olympics.
Nadzmi said this during the unveiling of a gigantic banner, measuring 26 feet x 30 feet, consisting the signatures of thousands of badminton fans urging the shuttlers to go for glory in Beijing.
The banner was set up at the national training ground at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday by sponsors, 100Plus, as part of its Unite for Glory campaign.
"The national players have prepared very well and they have the chance to win medals in Beijing this time," said Nadzmi.
"This is because Chong Wei has beaten Lin Dan in the recent Thomas Cup (in Indonesia) and he has prepared well for the Olympics.
"The other players are also in good condition and the kind of support we receive from 100Plus and fans will only spur them to produce their best in Beijing."
Besides Chong Wei, Malaysia will be represented by Wong Choong Hann, men's doubles Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, women's singles Wong Mew Choo and women's doubles Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui.
The others who have the chance of winning medals are Tan Fook-Wan Wah and Kien Keat-Boon Heong while Mew Choo is the outsider who is capable of pulling off upsets to give herself a shot at a medal.
Besides unveiling the banner, 100Plus is also running a contest that offers 10 lucky winners an all-expense paid three-day trip to support the national shuttlers in the 2008 China Open in Shanghai in November.
The participants need to buy 100Plus cans, six packs or cartons, answer one question and also come up with a creative signature for the slogan "Atasi Segalanya Malaysia".
The competition is being held between July 1 and Aug 31.
Amirul geared up after coach lift
OCM deputy president Datuk M. Jegathesan (second from right) receives a pair of shoes from Bata senior marketing manager Datuk James Selvaraj at the function naming Bata (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd as the official footwear for the Malaysian contingent to the Beijing Olympics. On the left is Chef-de-Mission Datuk Ho Koh Chye while NSC director general Datuk Zolkples Embong is on the right — PIC: HASAN ISMAIL
WEIGHTLIFTER Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim can now look forward to a better outing in the Olympics after coach Lin Xui Hui was given the nod to accompany him to Beijing.
However, the Olympic Council of Malaysia granted the MWA another spot and Xui Hui was named .
Chef-de-Mission Datuk Ho Koh Chye confirmed this at the function naming Bata (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd as the official suppliers of footwear for the Malaysian contingent to Beijing at the OCM head office in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Amirul, ranked World No 16 in the 56kg event, has set a top-10 target in Beijing.
Meanwhile, national sailor Kevin Lim, who will be competing in his fourth Olympics, was the first Malaysian athlete to arrive in Beijing.
Kevin, who arrived on Monday, hopes to try out the venue of the laser event at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre.
Kok Chye said the second batch of athletes from aquatics and archery will leave on Sunday followed by the badminton squad, two days later. -- AJITPAL SINGH
BAM boss challenges shuttlers to bag the gold
By LIM TEIK HUAT
KUALA LUMPUR: A huge banner, measuring 8m x 9.2m (26 feet x 30 feet) and featuring the signatures of thousands of fans from all over Malaysia, was unveiled in the presence of the Beijing Olympic-bound badminton team at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
The banner was set up to encourage and inspire the players ahead of the Games.
And Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Salleh has challenged the players to rise to the occasion, telling them not to squander the opportunity to achieve glory on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
“Our players have a good chance as they have been working hard. If they can manage their game well, I see no reason why we cannot win a gold medal. This is the best opportunity for most of them, who are at the peak of their career.
“If they miss this, they will have to wait another four years for the opportunity to play,” said Nadzmi, who is confident that the shutters, especially singles hope Lee Chong Wei, will not be short of inspiration to do well in Beijing.
“Playing in the Olympics always gives them an extra boost as it is not an ordinary Open tournament.
“This is what we expect from them. Chong Wei has beaten the other top players, including Lin Dan on his home ground before.
“If Chong Wei can repeat the performance in the Thomas Cup Finals recently, I believe he can challenge strongly in Beijing,” added Nadzmi, who will be flying over to Beijing on Aug 12 to lend his support for the players.
Among the Malaysians, Chong Wei has beaten Lin Dan in the Sudirman Cup (world mixed team competition) in Beijing while Wong Mew Choo has tamed a host of top Chinese women players en route to winning the China Open title last year.
All the nine players bound for Beijing have been training together at the Juara Stadium since July 21.
They will fly off to Beijing on Aug 5 to get ready for the competition, which will be held from Aug 9-17.
Besides Chong Wei and Mew Choo, the third singles player bound for Beijing is Wong Choong Hann while the doubles pairs present yesterday were Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook and Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.
The women’s doubles pair of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty were not present as they were at Genting Highlands for a motivational camp.
The 100Plus Unite for Glory campaign was launched to rally Malaysians to support their national badminton team in their quest to bring glory for the country.
Chris Ng, country marketing head of regional office of Fraser and Neave (Singapore) Pte Ltd, said: “We want the players to look at the banner when they are in training and be reminded that they have the support of the whole nation.”
Malaysia have won three medals thus far in the Olympic series – all from badminton.
Nicol moving in the right direction with new scoring system
By AFTAR SINGH
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Nicol David is slowly, but surely, finding her feet under the new 11-point scoring system.
The new scoring system was introduced in last week’s Malaysian Open, which Nicol won for the fourth straight time.
Nicol struggled in the early rounds of the tournament before finally finding her rhythm to eliminate world No. 2 Natalie Grinham of Holland in the final.
Nicol: ‘With the new system you need to stay focused throughout the matches.’ “With the new system you need to stay focused throughout the matches. I struggled in the early rounds of the Malaysian Open because I was not to used to it,” said Nicol.
Nicol, while admitting that the new scoring is quite taxing, hopes to put up a better performance in the Singapore Masters, which begins at the Kallang Squash Centre today.
“Besides defending the Singapore Masters and the Dutch Open (September) crowns, I will also be competing in the World Open in Manchester in October. The world meet is the most important tournament for me this year,” said Nicol, who lost in the second round of the World Open in Madrid last year.
Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand upset the top-seeded Nicol in last year’s World Open.
Nicol, the two-time World Open champion in 2005 and 2006, will meet Engy Kheirallah of Egypt in the first round of the Singapore Masters.
Also in Nicol’s half of the draw are two Englishwomen – fifth seed Jenny Duncalf and fourth seed Tania Bailey.
Natalie is seeded second while her elder sister, Rachael Grinham, is seeded third.
Nicol will be gunning for her sixth straight Women’s International Squash Players Association (Wispa) title this year, having bagged the Apawamis Open, the Kuala Lumpur Open, British Open, Seoul Open and Malaysian Open.
After the Singapore Masters, there will be “battle of the sexes” between Nicol and Singapore’s men’s No. 1 Udai Singh and Malaysia’s Low Wee Wern, the Asian junior woman champion, against Singapore’s Under-19 boys’ champion Samuel Kang.
These are not exhibition matches as prize money will be awarded to the winners.
Mun Yee’s hoping to be third time lucky in Olympics
By LIM TEIK HUAT
PETALING JAYA: Diver Leong Mun Yee is hoping to be third time lucky in the Beijing Olympics next month.
She will be the first Malaysian diver to compete in three consecutive Olympics and will be out to win a place in the semi-finals after two unsuccessful attempts.
Individual events will consist of preliminaries, semi-finals and finals. The 18 divers with the highest scores in the preliminaries will proceed to the semi-finals.
And the top 12 ranked divers from the semi-finals will move into the final.
Malaysia first took part in the diving competition at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and Mun Yee was among the three divers, including Yeoh Ken Nee and Azheem Bahari, who saw action.
She finished 39th in the 3m springboard preliminaries.
In Athens four years later, Mun Yee qualified for the 10m platform and the 3m springboard. She was placed 21st in the 10m platform and 26th in the 3m springboard.
As the most experienced diver in the team of four bound for Beijing, the 24-year-old from Ipoh has undergone more than a month of strenuous training in Kunming, China, in a bid to earn a place in Malaysian diving history.
Besides spending more than five hours a day in the pool, Mun Yee and her team-mates also went through hill-climbing sessions to build up their stamina.
“I will draw on my experience at the two previous Olympics to help me. If I can perform consistently, I have a chance to finish in the top 18 to reach the semi-finals.
“Breaking into the final, however, will be very tough as the world’s best divers are all there,” said Mun Yee, who started out as a swimmer.
She switched to diving at the age of 10 when the Jaya ‘98 programme was launched in 1994 to prepare a team for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, which Malaysia hosted for the first time.
Malaysia did not make a big impact at the Commonwealth Games but it proved to be the springboard to future successes at the international level.
Malaysian divers have not only won medals at Asian and Commonwealth Games levels but are the dominant force in the region.
Her decision to postpone her degree studies to concentrate on earning a third Olympic appearance has paid off but it will probably be her last.
Besides Mun Yee, other Malaysian women divers making their Olympic debut are Elizabeth Jimie and Pandelela Rinong.
Bryan Nickson will return to Olympic stage again after a glorious debut in Athens four years ago.
In Athens, he was the flag-bearer for the Malaysian contingent and just missed out on the semi-finals when he finished 19th in the 10m platform.
Bryan has since gone on to become the first Malaysian diver to qualify for the final in the World Championships in Melbourne last year.
It also made him the first Malaysian to qualify for the Olympics.
Malaysia have five swimmers in the fray but the odds are heavily stacked against them making it into the semi-finals of their respective events.
Jega takes a trip down memory lane with Bata
KUALA LUMPUR: It was a nostalgic moment for former Olympian Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan at the presentation of Power and Bata shoes to athletes gearing up for the Beijing Games.
“My first pair of running shoes was a Bata. It cost only RM1.99 but that was a long time ago,” recalled Jegathesan, who is now the deputy president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). Today, I am happy that Bata and the OCM have remained as partners.”
Jegathesan, dubbed the Flying Doctor during his heyday, had featured in two Olympic Games in the sprint event.
In fact, the 20.92 he clocked in the 200m at the Mexico Games is still a national record.
With his wealth of experience, he took the opportunity yesterday to provide advice and fan the fire among the Olympic-bound athletes to strive for excellence.
“I wish all our ambassadors the best. More than 25 million people are banking on them to win honours at the Games. It will be great if they can win the country’s first gold,” he said.
“But it is all right if they cannot win a medal. It will be an achievement if they can set personal bests. And that should be their goal.”
Yesterday, Jegathesan received the goods on behalf of the Malaysian contingent for the Games from the senior marketing manager, Bata (marketing) Sdn Bhd, Datuk James Selvaraj at the OCM Muzium.
Also present were National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong and the OCM secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi.
The athletes will be wearing specially designed Power sports shoes during the Games and the leather shoes during the march past.
Ibu pejabat AFC pindah lokasi
Oleh Mohd Fadzrie Hazis
fadzrie@bharian.com.my
Hubungan dengan FAM tambah dingin
HUBUNGAN dingin antara Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) dan Konfederasi Bola Sepak Asia (AFC) kini semakin jelas kelihatan apabila cadangan untuk memindahkan ibu pejabat AFC di Bukit Jalil dibangkitkan dalam mesyuarat exco AFC pagi semalam.
“Mesyuarat AFC pagi tadi dipengerusikan Mohammad) Hammam (Presiden AFC), dan perpindahan ibu pejabat AFC dari Kuala Lumpur adalah antara perkara yang dibincangkan.
“Namun, kakitangan AFC masih belum dimaklumkan secara rasmi mengenai cadangan itu,” kata satu sumber AFC.
Mengulas perkara itu, Timbalan Presiden FAM, Datuk Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad berkata ia adalah hak AFC sekiranya mereka mahu menempatkan ibu pejabat mereka di negara lain kerana ia tiada kaitan dengan FAM.
“FAM hanya membantu AFC mendapatkan lokasi untuk mendirikan ibu pejabat di Kuala Lumpur ketika Tuanku Presiden (Sultan Ahmad Shah) masih menjadi Presiden AFC.
“Jika mereka mahu berpindah, ia adalah hak mereka dan mereka tidak perlu memaklumkan kepada FAM kerana ia bukan berada dalam bidang kuasa FAM, ” kata Redzuan ketika dihubungi semalam.
Kekeruhan hubungan FAM-AFC mula kelihatan ketika konfederasi itu berkeras tidak memberi kelulusan perlawanan persahabatan antara kelab Liga Perdana Inggeris, Manchester United dan skuad kebangsaan pada Julai tahun lalu.
Alasan AFC adalah kerana FAM sudah terlebih dulu memberikan komitmen terhadap penganjuran Piala Asia 2007, di mana Malaysia adalah antara empat negara tuan rumah bersama
AFC kemudian mengubah format pusingan kelayakan Piala Dunia 2010 yang menyaksikan pasukan di ranking rendah seperti Malaysia hanya bermain satu perlawanan, dan ia dilihat memberi kelebihan kepada negara-negara Timur Tengah.
Kemuncak ketegangan hubungan FAM-AFC adalah ketika kontroversi Piala Juara-Juara Belia (CYC) 2008, apabila campur tangan konfederasi itu menyebabkan FAM tidak memberi kelulusan kejohanan itu dilangsungkan tahun ini.
Namun, AFC menganggap kontroversi CYC hanya masalah remeh dengan memilih tidak memberi sebarang kenyataan rasmi mengenainya walaupun mereka sebenarnya adalah antara punca utama kontroversi itu yang turut membabitkan Kementerian Belia dan Sukan.
Tiada galang ganti untuk emas'
Oleh Ahmad Khawari Isa
ahmadkhawari@bharian.com.my
Nadzmi percaya anak buahnya mampu melakar sejarah biar pun berdepan tekanan
MUNGKIN kerana bimbang tekanan menghantui atlit negara, sasaran menamatkan penantian emas yang pernah dicanangkan sebelumnya diubah pelbagai pihak menjadi hanya 'apa-apa sahaja kilauan pingat' daripada Sukan Olimpik di Beijing nanti.
Tetapi Presiden Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM), Datuk Nadzmi Salleh, masih mahu percaya betapa misi itu mampu dijelmakan menjadi realiti. Baginya, kejayaan pemain badminton di Beijing hanya diukur dengan emas, bukan warna lain.
"Kita punya peluang yang amat baik untuk memenangi emas pada kali ini. Kita ada pemain bagus. Jika mereka mencuba sedaya mungkin, mengawal persembahan dengan baik, saya tidak nampak alasan mengapa kita tidak boleh memenangi pingat emas."
Keberaniannya disuarakan biarpun selepas Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) dan Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) memilih untuk mengambil 'jalan selamat' itu.
"Memang kita perlu berhati-hati dan tidak meletakkan tekanan keterlaluan terhadap pemain. Malah mereka sudah ada cukup tekanan. Apa yang penting ialah untuk mereka menjadi diri sendiri.
"Kali ini, pemain perlu memberikan sesuatu yang lebih. Mereka perlu mengerah diri mencapai tahap maksimum demi memastikan apa dihasilkan nanti ialah yang terbaik mampu diberikan.
"Itulah yang kita harapkan daripada pemain-pemain negara," katanya selepas majlis pelancaran kain rentang mengandungi tanda sokongan rakyat Malaysia, hasil inisiatif sebuah syarikat pengeluar minuman terkemuka, kepada pemain, semalam.
Nadzmi melihat Lee Chong Wei selaku pemain dengan kemampuan untuk memikul tanggungjawab itu.
"Contohnya, Chong Wei pernah kalahkan Lin Dan di Piala Thomas. Kalau dia dapat ulangi prestasi seperti itu, sudah tentu dia ada peluang. Saya yakin dia calon untuk mendapatkan emas di Olimpik nanti," kata Nadzmi.
Harapan dan kepercayaan sama juga disandarkan kepada beregu Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah dan Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong ketika keupayaan Wong Mew Choo, Wong Choong Hann dan kombinasi Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui juga tidak dinafikan.
"Pemain juga sentiasa ada motivasi tambahan kerana Olimpik hanya hadir sekali dalam empat tahun. Untuk atlit, menanti empat tahun adalah jangka masa panjang.
"Kerana itu, sudah tentu mereka akan mencuba sedaya upaya untuk memberikan persembahan terbaik kerana siapa tahu, mungkin Olimpik empat tahun akan datang, mereka tidak akan beroleh lagi peluang seperti ini," katanya.
Lupakan dulu insentif, utamakan misi negara
Oleh Lukman Salleh
bhsukan@bharian.com.my
Olimpik adalah kemuncak kepada karier seseorang atlit
'LUPAKAN insentif, sebaliknya tumpukan kepada tekad untuk mencapai kemuncak prestasi serta menggapai kegemilangan demi negara.'
Kata-kata semangat ini diungkapkan bekas Olimpian Rome 1960, Brig Jen (B) Datuk Shahrudin Mohd Ali, 68, kepada dua atlit olahraga negara, Lee Hup Wei (lompat tinggi) dan Roslinda Samsu (lompat bergalah) buat bekalan menghadapi Sukan Olimpik Beijing, bulan depan.
Shahrudin, yang beraksi dalam acara pecut 100 dan 200 meter di Rome, mengingatkan Hup Wei dan Roslinda akan dugaan dan cabaran yang bakal dihadapi, termasuk akan dilayan sebagai 'atlit kelas kedua' berbanding kuasa utama sukan dunia.
"Bagi saya, kedua-dua atlit ini perlu menumpukan kepada usaha meningkatkan prestasi mereka dengan mengatasi catatan peribadi terbaik masing-masing," kata Shahrudin, yang hadir sebagai tetamu khas pada majlis meraikan Hup Wei dan Roslinda, di Bukit Jalil, kelmarin.
"Kedua-duanya perlu mengetahui untuk beraksi di Sukan Olimpik adalah kemuncak kepada karier seseorang atlit. Tiada yang lebih tinggi daripada ini.
"Jika atlit ini dapat melakukan yang terbaik di Sukan Olimpik Beijing, saya pasti mereka tidak akan dikritik sebalik dianggap sudah berjaya mencapai kejayaan. Ini sepatutnya menjadi sasaran.
"Insentif yang diberikan hanya sebagai satu dorongan tetapi atlit yang menentukan sejauh mana dia mampu meningkatkan prestasinya dalam menghadapi temasya paling gemilang di dunia," katanya.
Shahrudin, bekas Timbalan Panglima Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM), mula menyarung jersi negara ketika berusia 19 tahun, dan hanya tiga tahun sempat melayari arena olahraga negara sebelum mengundurkan diri kerana menumpukan kepada kerjaya dalam ketenteraan.
Malah, Shahrudin mengakui salah satu penyesalan ialah tidak dapat untuk beraksi lebih lama dalam olahraga.
"Masa saya terlalu singkat tetapi saya gembira kerana dapat beraksi dalam Sukan Olimpik di Rome," katanya. "Bagi saya, Hup Wei dan Roslinda yang akan beraksi kali pertama di Olimpik akan berdepan dengan pelbagai cabaran termasuk layanan yang kurang mesra berbanding atlit ternama dunia.
"Selain itu, mereka juga perlu menjaga diri sepanjang Sukan Olimpik sehingga acara mereka bermula kerana sebaik menjejakkan kaki ke temasya itu, semua rutin mereka akan terpesong dan ini boleh menjejaskan aksi mereka," katanya.
Atlit Malaysia dituntut pamer prestasi terbaik
Oleh Meor Hisham Zulkifli
bhsukan@bharian.com.my
LAYAK ke Olimpik menuntut semua atlit mempamerkan prestasi terbaik termasuk memecahkan rekod kebangsaan walaupun mereka bersaing dalam acara yang bukan sandaran untuk meraih pingat.
Presiden Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM), Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar, berkata kejayaan layak ke Olimpik perlu dijadikan asas untuk menguatkan lagi semangat atlit untuk mencipta lebih banyak kejayaan.
“Secara realistik, tumpuan ketika ini lebih menjurus ke arah sukan badminton yang di atas kertas mampu meraih pingat di Beijing kelak. Tapi, pada masa sama, atlit yang lain perlu turut membuktikan kemampuan masing-masing dan mencipta kejutan.
“Setiap atlit negara yang layak ke Olimpik perlu mempunyai misi untuk berjaya,” katanya selepas melancarkan laman web dan aktiviti sempena temasya Sukan Olimpik anjuran Telekom Malaysia Berhad di Kompleks Sukan Bukit Jalil semalam.
Malaysia, bakal menghantar 33 atlit daripada sembilan disiplin sukan untuk bertanding di Beijing, bermula kira-kira sembilan hari lagi. Secara realistik, badminton dilihat mampu membawa pulang pingat ketika atlit lain, perlu bekerja lebih keras.
Sambil menegaskan persediaan atlit negara untuk temasya di Beijing ini adalah yang terbaik pernah dipersiapkan, Tunku Imran, berkata acara sukan lain yang disertai negara sebenarnya turut mempunyai peluang meraih pingat.
“Sukan seperti taekwondo, berbasikal dan memanah mempunyai peluang untuk meraih pingat di Olimpik kali ini. Memanah misalnya, berada pada ranking keempat dunia dan pingat pasti dapat diraih andai undian memihak kepada negara.
“Sementara itu, Che Chew Chan yang bersaing dalam taekwondo, turut mampu mencipta kejutan kerana ketika ini dia berkedudukan keempat ranking dunia serta pernah mengalahkan peserta tuan rumah yang sebelum ini meraih emas di Athens,” katanya.
Bagaimanapun, Tunku Imran menegaskan, atlit dari kelompok lain - angkat berat, akuatik, sukan layar, menembak dan olahraga, perlu mempamerkan kemampuan sebenar mereka dan menghasilkan yang terbaik.
“Kita mengharapkan mereka mampu memecah rekod kebangsaan dan bersungguh-sungguh menghasilkan yang terbaik. Selain daripada menjadi pendedahan bersaing di peringkat lebih tinggi, mereka juga perlu membuktikan kemampuan diri.
“Dengan persediaan terbaik yang diterima mereka serta tiada laporan mengenai kecederaan serius, MOM yakin mereka mampu menyerlah,” katanya.
MSN rombak program pembangunan
Oleh Meor Hisham Zulkifli
sham@bharian.com.my
Bagi membariskan generasi atlit muda negara yang mampu menggegar pentas dunia
PROGRAM lebih kemas dan tersusun mahu dijelmakan Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) bagi membariskan generasi atlit muda yang mampu menggegar dunia selain bakal melapisi tonggak atlit sedia ada.
Menggabungkan semua program pelapis sebelum ini termasuk Program Tunas Gemilang, Gemilang 2010, Bakat dan Program Sukan Teras, MSN mengorak langkah menstruktur dan merombak program pembangunannya.
Dengan tanggungjawab yang kelihatan lebih berat dengan 19 jenis sukan berbanding lapan sebelumnya, rombakan itu dilihat mampu menjelmakan barisan pelapis yang lebih mantap selain punya program yang tersusun diperkasa dengan dana RM30 juta setahun.
Pengarah Cawangan Pelapis MSN, Jefri Ngadirin, berkata selepas mendapat kelulusan Jawatankuasa Kabinet Mengenai Pembangunan Sukan (JKPS), cawangan itu kini sudah pun menerima 223 atlit pelapis.
"Segala konsep perjalanan pengurusan bahagian ini adalah mirip pengurusan cawangan atlit elit dan program pelapis ini akan dijalankan dalam tiga kategori iaitu peringkat kebangsaan, serantau dan negeri dengan tumpuan adalah latihan berprestasi tinggi.
"Kini hanya ada satu saja pasukan pelapis kebangsaan berusia antara 18 hingga 23 tahun dari setiap cabang sukan dan mereka ini dipilih berdasarkan atlit terbaik di negara ini seperti mencatat kejayaan di Sukma dan kejohanan yang setaraf dengannya.
"Ia diikuti atlit peringkat serantau dan lapisan ketiga adalah pelapis negeri. Kaedah ini lebih tersusun dan kemas berbanding sebelumnya yang membabitkan banyak program serta peringkat umur," katanya.
Mengulas mengenai program yang membabitkan pembangunan atlit usia muda yang dilaksanakan beberapa program berbeza sebelum ini, Jefri menegaskan, tugasan membentuk mereka yang lebih muda di peringkat asas diagihkan kepada Kementerian Belia dan Sukan.
"Buat masa ini, atlit pelapis sukan memanah, olahraga, angkat berat dan basikal sudah ditempatkan di Kompleks Majlis Sukan Seberang Prai dan di Larkin, Johor. Dalam tempoh terdekat, semua pelapis akan ditempatkan di kemudahan ini bagi menjalani latihan," katanya.
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