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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 (Bernama) - New Malaysian Athletics Union (MAU) president Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad wants to restore Malaysian athletics to its former glory. Zainal who was recently elected to the MAU hotseat said this after calling on National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong at his office in Bukit Jalil Tuesday. Flanked by new MAU deputy Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh, Zainal expressed MAU's willingness to work with NSC for the improvement of Malaysian athletics. "We will strive to restore Malaysia as the athletics powerhouse in Asia although it will take a long time," he told reporters after the meeting. He said MAU will use the Malaysian Open Athletics Championships at Mini Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Oct 6-7 to plan training programmes for athletes. It will see participation of 280 athletes from Thailand, Taiwan, Iran, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia. --BERNAMA

RATU 400 meter lari berpagar negara, Noraseela Mohd. Khalid berharap agar kepimpinan baharu Kesatuan Olahraga Malaysia (KOM) tidak lagi menjadikan atlet sebagai mangsa. Katanya, sebelum ini segelintir atlet olahraga negara kerap dijadikan seba- gai mangsa ekoran keputusan yang di- buat oleh pemimpin tertinggi dalam KOM. "Sebagai atlet, kami tidak mahu dijadikan mangsa pemimpin-pemimpin dalam KOM. "Sebagai contoh, dalam kes Mohd. Yunus Lasalleh yang didapati positif ujian antidoping ketika Sukan SEA 2011. Segala-galanya berpunca daripada pemimpin tertinggi KOM dan saya pasti semua orang tahu siapa individu itu. "Jadi, saya tidak mahu perkara ini berulang kerana yang menderita adalah atlet itu sendiri. Macam kes Yunus, sehingga kini masih belum selesai lagi dan bakat yang ada padanya berkubur begitu sahaja," tegas Noraseela ketika dihubungi Kosmo! semalam. Ditanya sama ada petisyen yang dihantar oleh barisan jurulatih dan atlet olahraga negara telah memainkan per...

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- President Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and his Deputy Datuk Karim Ibrahim were ousted during the Malaysian Athletic Union (MAU) Annual General Meeting (AGM) here Sunday. Shahidan who had helmed the MAU since 2006, suffered a shocking loss to Negeri Sembilan Amateur Athletic Association (NSAAA) President Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad by two votes. Zainal received 23 votes while Shahidan had to be contended with 21 when 44 delegates representing 14 affiliates cast their votes at the National Sports Council's Dewan Komenwel in Bukit Jalil. In the race for Deputy President, Karim managed 19 votes while Terengganu Amateur Athletic Association President Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh polled 25 votes. The election for four vice presidents was also a closely fought race with seven candidates contesting for the post of four vice presidents which included a woman representative. --BERNAMA