KUALA LUMPUR — The Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) will be submitting a formal complaint to the Youth and Sports Ministry regarding the challenges the governing body faced due to the influence of the National Sports Council (NSC) during the Paris Paralympics.
This response comes after NSC director-general Abdul Rashid Yaakub expressed regret, stating that he would not tolerate baseless accusations against his officials.
Rashid also mentioned that if PCM felt influenced by the NSC in Paris, their president, Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, should have raised the matter with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh or NSC officials, rather than creating controversies.
Speaking to Scoop, Megat said that the issue was not raised in Paris because it could have impacted the contingent’s performance during the Games.
“I was in Paris for our nation and not on holiday. Imagine if I had brought this up during the Games—it would have affected the contingent’s performance.
“Even if I had spoken to the minister about this matter, I personally believe she would have brushed it off. As the president of a national sports association, I don’t want this doctrine and practice to continue indefinitely.
“I don’t see this as a cold war. It’s about holding them accountable for issues that have persisted for years. The NSC wants to follow a system, but they aren’t doing it right.
“I’m a professional, and I didn’t want to complain like a child. Any accusation needs to be in writing so that it’s fair for any party to dispute it, fight it, and prove it. That’s what I intend to do in the coming days by preparing a formal complaint and bringing these issues up during the upcoming post-mortem,” Megat said during a Scoop podcast session called Sport Check.
It was reported that Hannah said a post-assessment of the Malaysian contingent’s performance at the Paris Paralympics will be conducted after the conclusion of the 2024 Le Tour de Langkawi, which will take place from September 29 to October 6.
Malaysia concluded their Paralympic campaign with two gold medals, won by para-shuttler Cheah Liek Hou and para-powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin, both of whom successfully defended their titles from the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.
The national contingent also secured two silver medals, earned by former gold medalists Datuk Abdul Latif Romly (long jump) and Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli (shot put), along with a bronze by debutant Eddy Bernard in the men’s 100m T44 race.
In the past, Malaysia won three gold medals each at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo. — September 19, 2024