WEIGHTLIFTING: MWF seeks end to 'lost' Olympic spot

THE Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) will again send official letters to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) today demanding the reason for the revocation of the nation's sole spot at the London Olympics.

Malaysian Weightlifting Federation president Zafarul Akbar Kassim (left) with OCM honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi after a meeting yesterday. Pic by Owee Ah Chun

Both parties have yet to receive any form of justification (for the omission) from the IWF despite numerous enquiries via letters and phone calls to the world governing body.

The MWF had learnt of the matter after Malaysia were removed from the list of qualifiers for the Olympics on the IWF website earlier this month with the nation's sole spot being given to Vietnam.
Despite having already received a congratulatory letter confirming their qualification in the women's event at the Games on June 8, they had two days later received a letter from the IWF stating that Malaysia had no quota at the Olympics despite not having failed any doping tests.

The second letter, however, did not mention a retraction of Malaysia's Olympic qualifying spot and also whether it was in regard to the men's or women's category.

This has led the MWF to believe it was considering its appeal to the IWF for a wild card in the men's event in which they did not qualify on merit.

Malaysia had clinched their sole Olympic qualification spot by virtue of finishing sixth in the women's team event at the Asian Championships in Pyongtaek, South Korea last April.

Comments

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,...

Indonesia Choose Komodo Dragon As SEA Games Mascot

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Host for the 26th SEA Games, Indonesia has chosen the Komodo dragon as mascot for the 2011 Games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang from Nov 11 to 25. The Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc), was qouted by Jakarta Post as saying that a pair of Komodo dragons, a male (Modo) and a female (Modi), were chosen in recognition of the Republic's conservation efforts to protect the dwindling number of the rare lizard. Modo and Modi were unveiled last night at a function in Jakarta, to mark the 200-day countdown before the games open on Nov 11 in Palembang. The Komodo dragons, the largest lizard in the world, only live on the Indonesian islands of Komodo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. On Jan 15, Inasoc unveiled its logo, a Garuda eagle, to symbolize the power and grandeur of Indonesia. Indonesia dominated the Games between 1977, when it first competed, and 1997, failing to top the medal charts only twice in that p...

Malaysian Sports - Today's back pages!

Search This Blog