KUALA LUMPUR – The sports commissioner’s office has confirmed that a meeting will be arranged between the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to resolve the “misunderstanding” that arose from Suhardi Alias’ “extreme belligerence”.
The commissioner’s office also said it regretted all the subsequent statements issued over the misunderstanding with OCM.
“A meeting will be arranged between the Youth and Sports Ministry and OCM in the near future to explain the real context of the issue. With this, the ministry is confident that the misunderstanding will be cleared up for all parties involved,” it added in a statement today.
Yesterday, OCM issued a statement calling on Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to intervene in Suhardi’s “extreme belligerence” towards the national Olympic committee.
Its secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib said Suhardi’s comments on the achievements and performances of national athletes fell outside his job scope.
Soon after, Suhardi confirmed that he would meet OCM to calm the situation after a leaked audio clip went viral last week.
In the audio clip, Shuhardi could be heard threatening to deregister OCM, citing that he had the power to do so.
This has angered not only OCM but also national sports associations.
It was also understood that Suhardi was commenting on athletes’ performance, which is not under the sports commissioner’s jurisdiction.
However, Suhardi lodged a police report last Friday over the leaked audio.
“OCM, as a national governing body, should calm down and not lash out unnecessarily. They should have met and discussed the issue with all parties, especially the government.” – November 21, 2023