KUALA LUMPUR: The decision to drop several events at the 20th Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kuala Lumpur next month will have an effect on the country's efforts to nurture future national athletes.
Malaysia Swimming Federation president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim(pix) told Bernama that such a move would hinder development in the affected sports, adding that the Games were a suitable event to identify athletes with potential and it would be a loss to athletes who had spent so much time making preparations.
Shahidan, who is also Federal Territories Minister, said that diving, for example, needed new faces to ensure the country could continue to excel in the sport at the international level.
“We need new divers. It is already hard to find divers now but if there is no competition, how can we find (replacements)?” he said, adding that he would hold a meeting with Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu to discuss the matter.
Media outlets have recently reported that several events in athletics and diving were to be dropped from Sukma due to the lack of state participation.
Yesterday, the National Sports Council (NSC) said in a statement that the cancellations were unavoidable because the affected events failed to secure the participation of at least six states in the Games scheduled from Sept 16 to 24.
NSC director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said the matter could have been avoided if the states that had registered early had not withdrawn at the last minute before the closing date.-Bernama
