KUALA LUMPUR – Parents of Kuala Lumpur Cycling Association (KLCA) athletes are dissatisfied with how the state cycling body is being run and are demanding a change.
Parent representative Nor Azila Ab Razak refuted all the facts that Datuk Ng Joo Ngan and KLCA deputy president Firdaus Arshad presented in a press conference on Thursday.
“Until today, we still have not received any cooperation from them, so their use of the media to express their side of the story was unfair to us.
“Before this, we did not have anywhere to inquire or ask questions about anything without it affecting the riders.
“For example, any items owned by the association that are given to the cyclists will be asked to be returned, or the names of the riders will be dropped from competitions, and the benefits that they are entitled to will also be withheld.
“Because of that, we took the initiative to write an official letter to the newly elected KLCA president Datuk Razlan Razali to call for a meeting to allow the parents to explain the real situation at KLCA,” the 41-year-old said in a press conference here today.
She added that the usual reply from the association is that they are in a difficult financial situation.
However, Nor Azila questioned why Putrajaya is also under the Federal Territories Sports Council (FTSC) but are in a better situation than KLCA.
“Joo Ngan and Firdaus did not answer the questions we raised but immediately disputed allegations of racism.
“It is not logical to say ‘I have Malay friends, so I cannot be racist’ because what we meant by racism is his actions and verbal interactions from a coach to parents and riders.
“There are risks to questioning Joo Ngan…like the riders will not be picked for competitions, suspended, or even dropped entirely.
“These were the risks or challenges that we had to go through, and we did not have a platform to raise our grouses before this,” added Nor Azila.
She also called into question Joo Ngan’s training methods, which have not changed with the times.
“We are not denying his achievements in cycling, but he is now 77 years old.
“Times have changed, and there have been advancements in sports science which he has failed to implement for the cyclists.
“We need a coach that has up-to-date knowledge of sports science and is fit to train the riders,” added Nor Azila.
She hopes that there will be a change in KLCA and that Razlan, who resigned as president less than a month after winning the post uncontested, resumes his role so he can lead the association to better days.
On February 25, Razlan, who is the former principal of MotoGP team RNF Racing, was elected as president of KLCA, but it was reported on Wednesday that he had resigned from his post after a heated council meeting.
It is understood that Razlan participated in a discussion with the parents and riders on March 14 where they alleged issues involving racism, breach of trust, and misuse of funds from FTSC had occurred within the association in recent years.
A day later, Razlan disclosed that he participated in a heated argument during the KLCA committee meeting, where the alleged issues were discussed.
He tendered his resignation on March 16.
On Thursday, Joo Ngan and Firdaus held a press conference to dispute the allegations and said the association is ready to be investigated. – March 23, 2024