PETALING JAYA – Divers, coaches, and the Malaysian Swimming Federation (MS) have been urged to improve communication aspects to avoid issues similar to those that occurred at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, from recurring.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who also dismissed claims of the existence of entities affecting the performance of the national diving squad in Doha, said she was satisfied with the explanations given by national divers Datuk Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri in a meeting yesterday.
“After this, I will also meet with the association (MS) and coaches to hear their answers and views on why all divers (at the World Aquatics Championships) did not qualify for Paris (2024 Olympic Games),” she told reporters after officiating the Leap To The Stars 2024 High Jump Challenge here today.
The failure of the national divers in Doha resulted in male diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises being the sole Malaysian representative who successfully booked a ticket to Paris through the 10m individual platform event at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, last year.
Meanwhile, Hannah said decisions regarding the positions of Pandelela and Nur Dhabitah in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, which is a national project to chase the country’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games, need to be made collectively with the RTG committee, and are expected to be known this month.
She also admired Pandelela and Dhabitah’s commitment, as they remained determined to continue representing the country despite not having the opportunity to compete in Paris 2024.
In other developments, Hannah said her ministry allocated RM30,000 to the organisers of the Leap To The Stars 2024 High Jump Challenge, namely the Shah Alam Sports Club, to continue efforts to unearth new high jump talents in the country.
She also praised the efforts of the Shah Alam Sports Club, which collaborated with the 1 Utama shopping centre to organise the tournament at a popular venue, thereby attracting the interest of the younger generation to become high jump athletes in the future. – February 17, 2024