KULAI — After a decade of being sidelined, it is time for the national road cycling squad to be reintegrated into the National Sports Council (NSC) sports programme.
This issue should be a priority for the incoming president at the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) annual general meeting (AGM) next week.
Speaking to Scoop, MNCF road cycling bureau head Norazman Abu Samah explained that unlike the track cycling team, which receives full support, the road cycling squad has struggled—particularly in preparing for international competitions—due to their exclusion from the NSC programme.
Norazman said that his late father, former MNCF president Datuk Abu Samah Abdul Wahab, had fought relentlessly to reinstate the road cycling squad into the NSC, but to no avail.
The national road cycling team was removed from the NSC programme in 2014 after failing to secure a gold medal at the SEA Games in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, alongside a scandal involving the mismanagement of RM1.5 million in funds.
“During this period, it was extremely challenging for the athletes in the road cycling squad because, without being part of the programme, it was difficult for us to plan for them due to a lack of funding.
“Fortunately, my late father had good relationships with several countries like China, Taiwan, and Thailand, which allowed us to send the national team to participate in races there at minimal costs, and sometimes the expenses were even covered by the host countries.
“We can’t change what happened in the past, but just imagine, for several recent editions of the SEA Games, the national squad has consistently brought home gold medals.
“So, I hope that the upcoming president who will take on this role can continue what my late father fought for, which is to ensure that the road cycling programme is reinstated into the NSC programme,” said Norazman.
In 2017, when Malaysia hosted the SEA Games, the road cycling team secured two gold, three silver, and one bronze medal.
However, their performance dropped in 2019 in the Philippines, bringing home only a bronze in BMX.
A comeback followed, with Nur Aiman Zariff winning gold in road cycling at the subsequent SEA Games, and Nur Amirul Fakhruddin retaining the gold medal in Cambodia the next year.
At the upcoming AGM on October 12, only the president’s seat will be contested, following the passing of Datuk Abu Samah last November.
The presidential race is a three-corner fight between acting president Mazlan Md Jalil, deputy president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill, and former deputy president Yunus Ibrahim. — October 4, 2024