KUALA LUMPUR — The National Sports Council (NSC) will meet national track and field athletes and Malaysia Athletics (MA) next week in a bid to resolve the ongoing dispute over national technical director Robert Ballard, who has come under fire from a group of sprinters refusing to train under him.
NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the meeting would provide a clearer picture of the standoff, which has seen athletes boycott Ballard-led sessions for over a month.
“We’ve been aware of the issue, especially after MA requested to appoint six new coaches during a recent meeting,” he said today, as Bernama reported.
“But once we sit down with the athletes and MA at the same table, I believe we’ll get a clearer understanding of why the athletes are boycotting and refusing to train under Ballard.
“If everything is discussed openly, I believe we can resolve this quickly.”
Jefri confirmed Ballard’s contract will expire this June, giving NSC room to assess his performance, including his key performance indicators.
“Although his contract is with MA, the funding is from NSC. If MA wishes to extend his contract, they’ll have to come back to us — and then we’ll consider the next step.”
He added that NSC is still awaiting resumes for six prospective coaches — three local and three international — that MA had previously said it would submit. Last week, Jefri said the six would cover sprint, throws and jumps disciplines.
‘Athletes walk out’
Yesterday, Berita Harian reported that several top sprinters had walked out of the national training programme, citing dissatisfaction with Ballard’s management. Some claimed they were threatened with expulsion if they voiced concerns.
Among the athletes who left were 2017 Southeast Asia sprint king Khairul Hafiz Jantan, women’s 100m national record holder Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli, and double Sukma champion Nur Afrina Batrisya Mohamad Rizal.
All three have resumed training under former coach Mohd Poad Md Kassim, who had been dropped by MA.
The discord extends beyond the sprint squad, with SEA Games medallists Jackie Wong and Grace Wong reportedly left without dedicated coaches since the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games ended.
Khairul Hafiz criticised Ballard’s management style, claiming there had been no structured programme during his two years as technical director.
“We just train and train. It’s been two years without any plan,” he said. “We’ve not had overseas competitions in a long time.”
He also pointed to poor communication within MA, noting that during a recent committee meeting, 37 athletes were named for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships — yet many still don’t know the qualifying criteria or if they’re even eligible.
Frustration grew further amid claims that Ballard is drawing a five-figure salary despite delivering little over the past two years.
“I’m not trying to speak ill of anyone, but athletics isn’t what it used to be. There’s no mutual understanding between us and the people at the top.
“I was once told that if I didn’t train with him (Ballard), my contract wouldn’t be renewed. I just went along because I wanted to keep running for the country.
“But imagine — I was running 10.5 or 10.6 seconds, and after training under Ballard, I dropped to 10.99s.
“When there’s no improvement and someone speaks up, they get insulted and scolded.”
Zaidatul Husniah, who holds the national 100m record at 11.49s, echoed her concerns and has also returned to a training plan under Poad. — April 18, 2025