KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysia Wushu Federation (WFM) has expressed frustration with the host nation of the 2025 SEA Games, Thailand, for not only reducing the number of events but also arbitrarily merging certain categories.
WFM president, Datuk Chong Kim Fatt, is baffled by Thailand’s decisions, especially their move to alter the competition format by requiring athletes to compete in three events to win a single gold medal instead of the usual two.
For example, the organisers plan to combine three events within the taolu discipline (weapons and bare hands categories) to award just one gold medal.
Adding to the disappointment, the organisers have proposed condensing the wushu competition into just three days, which could negatively affect the athletes.
“Typically, athletes compete in two events to win one medal, but Thailand has combined three events for one medal.
“With only three competition days, the risk of injury to athletes increases. Normally, there are four days, with a rest day to allow athletes to recover and stay focused for their next event,” said Kim Fatt after attending the Working Committee Meeting with the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
WFM has already sent a formal letter of protest to Thailand and has also informed the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) about the situation they are facing.
It is a challenging situation as wushu has always been a key event for Malaysia’s contingent to secure gold medals at such competitions.
Additionally, they have lost former world champion Wong Weng Soon, who recently announced his retirement.
Not only that, but they have yet to receive an increased allocation from the National Sports Council (NSC) despite facing a busy season with several major competitions, including the World Championship, Asian Championship, and SEA Games.
“We were informed that the budget remains the same as last year (RM2 million), and this presents a significant challenge for us. The current budget is insufficient, and we hope for an additional RM500,000,” he said.
“In my opinion, if we want to remain medal contenders at the SEA Games, we need to be serious. We at the Malaysia Wushu Federation take every competition seriously,” he added. — December 11, 2024