KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- The National Sports Council and the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) may end up spending millions to send national athletes for training and competition overseas, due to the lack of facilities at the Ranau Sports Complex in Sabah.
The MAAU said since the Ranau complex does not have the necessary facilities, athletes would have to be send overseas for training and competition as an alternative, to prepare athletes for the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia.
MAAU president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the Union had identified 38 competitions abroad, especially in Bulgaria, Germany and Slovakia, to prepare the athletes.
"Athletes will be allowed to choose the competitions deemed suitable for their events and the MAAU will submit the proposals to the National Sports Council for approval," he told reporters at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil here Monday.
However, Shahidan said MAAU would continue its plans to use the Ranau Sports Complex as a training hub for athletics, for all seasons.
"This is a long term programme that can benefit the sport and the state of Sabah in the long run," he said.
Early this year, the MAAU had proposed to send athletes to Ranau as part of its preparations for the SEA Games in November but the programme had to be cancelled due to lack of facilities.
Shahidan said only walkers Teoh Boon Lim and Yuan Yufang had undergone training in Ranau two months ago.
Meanwhile, Shahidan said so far six athletes have qualified for the SEA Games, namely Lee Hup Wei (men's high jump), Roslinda Samsu (women's pole vault), Norasheela Khalid (women's 400m hurdles), Loo Choon Sieng (women's walk), Teoh Boon Lim (men's walk) and Tan Song Hwa (hammer throw).
He also said that eight athletes - Roslinda, Loo, Norasheela and the 4x100m relay team Norjannah Hafiszah Jamaludin, Nurul Sarah Abdul Kadir, Yee Yi Ling, Siti Zubaidah Adabi, Siti Fatimah Mohamad - have been identified for the Asian Track and Field championships in Kobe, Japan from July 7-10.
The MAAU said since the Ranau complex does not have the necessary facilities, athletes would have to be send overseas for training and competition as an alternative, to prepare athletes for the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia.
MAAU president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the Union had identified 38 competitions abroad, especially in Bulgaria, Germany and Slovakia, to prepare the athletes.
"Athletes will be allowed to choose the competitions deemed suitable for their events and the MAAU will submit the proposals to the National Sports Council for approval," he told reporters at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil here Monday.
However, Shahidan said MAAU would continue its plans to use the Ranau Sports Complex as a training hub for athletics, for all seasons.
"This is a long term programme that can benefit the sport and the state of Sabah in the long run," he said.
Early this year, the MAAU had proposed to send athletes to Ranau as part of its preparations for the SEA Games in November but the programme had to be cancelled due to lack of facilities.
Shahidan said only walkers Teoh Boon Lim and Yuan Yufang had undergone training in Ranau two months ago.
Meanwhile, Shahidan said so far six athletes have qualified for the SEA Games, namely Lee Hup Wei (men's high jump), Roslinda Samsu (women's pole vault), Norasheela Khalid (women's 400m hurdles), Loo Choon Sieng (women's walk), Teoh Boon Lim (men's walk) and Tan Song Hwa (hammer throw).
He also said that eight athletes - Roslinda, Loo, Norasheela and the 4x100m relay team Norjannah Hafiszah Jamaludin, Nurul Sarah Abdul Kadir, Yee Yi Ling, Siti Zubaidah Adabi, Siti Fatimah Mohamad - have been identified for the Asian Track and Field championships in Kobe, Japan from July 7-10.
-- BERNAMA
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