Skip to main content

Impian berkubur

BIARPUN pada awalnya skuad terjun negara mensasarkan pencapaian yang jauh lebih baik di saingan terakhir Siri Kejohanan Dunia Fina di Mexico, hari ini, namun hasrat itu berkubur begitu saja selepas Persatuan Renang Amatur Malaysia (Asum) tiba-tiba mengambil keputusan mendadak untuk menumpukan kepada saingan dalam negara saja.
Tindakan Asum yang secara tiba-tiba menyisihkan Kejohanan Dunia yang berprestij itu menimbulkan tanda tanya memandangkan mereka bersungguh-sungguh mahu merapatkan jurang dengan China selaku negara yang gah mendominasi sukan itu selama ini.

Bukan saja di Mexico, Asum turut tidak menghantar wakil ke siri ketiga iaitu di England pada 15 dan 16 April lalu.
Senario ini dianggap merugikan terutama selepas kilauan pingat yang diidamkan daripada Siri Kejohanan Dunia Fina tampak hampir berada dalam genggaman apabila Pandelela Rinong meraih perak bersama rakan segandingan Leong Mun Yee untuk acara 10 meter platform seirama di siri kedua kejohanan itu, di Beijing, 25 hingga 26 Mac lalu. Kejayaan itu juga menandakan pingat kedua diraih Pandelela dalam siri kejohanan itu apabila atlet dari Sarawak itu turut meraih perak pertama acara 10 meter platform individu pada siri pertama, di Moscow, 18-19 Mac lalu.

ā€œKami tidak punyai masalah menghantar atlet, tiada seorangpun yang cedera dan bukan berdepan kemelut kewangan. Cuma memilih untuk menumpukan pada saingan dalam negara saja, terutama Terbuka Malaysia, bulan depan dan Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) Jun ini.

ā€œPersatuan terlalu sibuk melengkapkan atlet untuk dua saingan itu yang dianggap lebih penting. Tidak dinafikan, amat mengecewakan untuk melepaskan peluang beraksi di sukan berprestij Fina tetapi kami terpaksa menarik diri demi kepentingan acara lain,ā€ kata Setiausaha Kehormat Persatuan Renang Amatur Malaysia (Asum), Edwin Chong.

Mengulas lanjut, Edwin berkata, walaupun tidak ke siri ketiga dan keempat Kejohanan Dunia Fina, atlet tidak perlu bimbang kerana pihaknya tetap akan menghantar ke saingan kemuncak iaitu Kejohanan Dunia Ke-14 di Shanghai, Julai ini.

ā€œSaya mengutamakan Kejohanan Dunia di Shanghai kerana ia medan menentukan siapa yang bakal menggalas cabaran ke Sukan Olimpik 2012 London.

ā€œPenerjun yang berjaya menduduki 12 tangga teratas dan layak ke final akan diberikan tiket automatik ke Olimpik. Atas dasar itu, atlet perlu bersiap sedia dari sekarang dan tindakan persatuan mengurangkan kejohanan lain membuka ruang untuk mereka melengkapkan diri,ā€ katanya.

Sementara itu, walaupun Pandelela dan Mun Yee terpaksa berhenti berjuang di tengah jalan, rakan seangkatan Bryan Nickson Lomas dan Yeoh Ken Nee akan terus mengorak langkah ke siri Kejohanan Dunia, Kanada, 29 April ini.



Harian Metro

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...

Chance to catch Messi and company

  FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and vice president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin with FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich yesterday. Pic by Osman Adnan LIONEL Messi's presence alone could sell half the tickets despite reigning world club champions FC Barcelona's date with a Malaysian XI at the National Stadium on Aug 10 falling on the third day of Hari Raya. The much anticipated visit of the four-time European champions comes with expectations from fans who want a full star-studded line-up. "The summer will be a busy period with a lot of uncertainty with players moving away and coming in. "But yes, our plans are to bring our full team here," said FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich yesterday. Rossich was speaking at the announcement of the friendly match, which is part of the three-match FC Barcelona Asia Tour 2013, which sees the giants also visiting China and Thailand. Also pre...