KUALA LUMPUR – National sailor Nur Shazrin Abd Latiff will not have to wait another three weeks for treatment on her right wrist, giving her a good chance of competing in the Paris Olympic Games in July.
National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Ramli clarified that as an athlete under the Podium Programme, Shazrin enjoys direct access to treatment at NSI.
Earlier, Shazrin faced the prospect of waiting until May 17 or 20 for treatment due to her doctor’s participation in a course.
Shazrin suffered from being unable to move her middle finger, ring finger, and little finger after returning from the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres, France, yesterday.
The 26-year-old athlete qualified for the Paris Olympics after winning gold in the ILCA 6 Handed Dinghy event at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2023, and it will be her third appearance at the Olympic Games after Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
“Experts at NSI will try their best to assist Shazrin, every decision we make later is based on investigations and screenings conducted on Shazrin.
“The recovery programme will also be observed and discussed with Shazrin and her coach. We still have over three months, and I am optimistic that if everything goes smoothly, she will compete in the Paris Olympic Games.
“I don’t think she needs to queue for long because she has direct access to NSI. As an athlete in the Podium Programme, she does have direct access to us. So there is no problem for her to get treatment,” said Faedzal, who was met at the Asian Sports Cardiology Symposium at NSI today.
Faedzal added that he realises the three-month period leading up to the Paris Olympic Games is crucial for most of the national athletes who are preparing for the sporting event; thus, NSI has prepared 21 medical officers who will accompany the Malaysian contingent to Paris.
So far, a total of 18 national athletes from seven sports have already secured slots for Paris.
In addition, it is estimated that 80 medical officers are also ready to provide treatment to other athletes who are not part of the programme.
“Our aim at the moment is for the next three months to focus on minimising the risk of injuries that they may face.
“For our RTG (Road to Gold) programme, we have sufficient funds to provide adequate services for athletes in the programme, so there are no issues.
“Even for athletes who are not in the RTG programme, we have made the same efforts, service coverage, and intensity to meet the needs of athletes and coaches. I think that is our commitment to all athletes who will go to the Olympics,” he added. – April 30, 2024