KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian fencing faces mounting questions over its development and governance after the country was left with only three of the six events in next year’s SEA Games programme, despite Malaysia hosting the biennial competition.
Based on information circulated and documents sighted by Scoop, Malaysia’s proposed participation programme for the 2027 SEA Games will cover only men’s foil, men’s sabre and women’s foil, leaving men’s épée, women’s épée and women’s sabre out of the competition.
The development has raised questions about the Malaysian Fencing Federation’s (MFF) ability to develop a competitive national squad across all disciplines, particularly with the country preparing to host the Games from Sept 18 to 29 next year.
A source from the fencing fraternity told Scoop that the decision was concerning, particularly given the opportunity for Malaysian athletes to compete on home soil.
“A home Sea Games should be an opportunity to give as many Malaysian fencers as possible the chance to compete. Instead, we are potentially reducing our representation before the competition has even begun,” the source said.
The concerns come amid Malaysia’s disappointing performance at the 2026 Southeast Asian Fencing Championships in Vietnam, where the national contingent failed to win a gold medal, finishing with eight medals overall.
Teh Zi Hao in men’s sabre and Kamalanathan Kaerlan Vinod in men’s foil were among the Malaysian fencers who reached the podium, both claiming silver medals.
Vietnam dominated the championships with nine gold medals, while the Philippines won two and Cambodia one.
Malaysia’s absence from the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, and the Asian Under-23 Championships in Bahrain has also raised questions about the opportunities available to national fencers to gain international exposure and test themselves against stronger continental opposition.
Another source familiar with the country’s fencing development programme questioned the lack of competition opportunities available to Malaysian athletes.
“Athletes cannot be expected to improve simply by training. They need regular domestic competitions and international exposure to assess their progress against stronger opponents. Without those opportunities, how do we expect Malaysian fencing to move forward?” the source said.
The concerns extend beyond competition results, with questions also being raised about MFF’s governance and the decision-making process surrounding the national team’s preparations.
Documents sighted by Scoop suggest that several members of MFF’s executive committee were not informed of the decision concerning the 2027 Sea Games programme. It is also understood that no executive committee meeting has been held since February 2026.
This has raised questions about whether the decision was properly discussed with the federation’s executive committee and state associations before the three events were omitted.
“Decisions involving the national team and the future of Malaysian fencing should be discussed collectively. State associations and executive committee members should have a voice, especially when decisions directly affect athletes and their opportunities to represent the country,” the source added.
An analysis of the top-four Malaysian results at the 15th Malaysia Open Fencing Championships 2026 has also brought the distribution of athletes across the selected and omitted disciplines into focus.
The tournament is particularly significant as MFF’s published calendar identifies it as the only ranking competition listed for the season, with no further senior ranking competitions announced for the remainder of 2026 or 2027.
The analysis found that nine of the 12 leading Malaysian fencers across the three disciplines selected for the SEA Games programme – men’s foil, men’s sabre and women’s foil were affiliated with Valour, Putrajaya or Five Star fencing clubs.
In contrast, 75 per cent of the leading Malaysian fencers in the three omitted disciplines represented other clubs and states.
These figures have raised questions about the distribution of opportunities within the sport, particularly given the overlapping positions held by individuals in MFF’s leadership and club structures.
MFF president Rusni Abu Hassan is also president of the Putrajaya Fencing Association, while Five Star Fencing Club is reportedly run by members of her family. MFF secretary Yu Peng Kean is also reportedly involved in the management of Valour Fencing Academy.
While these overlapping positions do not, in themselves, establish wrongdoing or prove that club affiliations have influenced athlete selection, they raise questions about transparency and the need for safeguards against potential conflicts of interest.
The concerns come against the backdrop of an ongoing High Court dispute involving the Federal Territory Amateur Fencing Association and MFF, with Rusni and Yu named as defendants.
Scoop has contacted Rusni and National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Arrifin Mohd Ghani for clarification on the proposed fencing programme, the federation’s development plans and the governance concerns raised.
However, neither had responded at the time of publishing. – November 3, 2026