Taekwondo Malaysia questions NSC for dropping taekwondo as core sports

KUALA LUMPUR: Taekwondo Malaysia (TM) has questioned the objective of the National Sports Council (NSC) for dropping taekwondo from the list of 19 core sports.
TM deputy president Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Mohd Najib said he was surprised by the decision as they were today not given the opportunity to discuss the matter.
Mohd Nazifuddin, who is also Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) vice-president said the OCM was never asked to discuss with the NSC on the decision to drop the three sports.
On Tuesday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that taekwondo, sepak takraw and weightlifting were dropped as core sports.
"I wonder why taekwondo, an Olympic Games sport, was dropped," he told reporters here, today.
Mohd Nazifuddin said his NSC friends in the states expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to drop taekwondo without discussing it with the NSC in the states.
"If we want to strengthen Malaaysian taekwondo, we should give opportunities, funds and support so that we can send many athletes abroad to participate in international competitions.
"Dropping taekwondo from Sukma (Malaysia Games) is not the way. The cost of having taekwondo in Sukma is not high," he added. — Bernama