KUALA LUMPUR – Five young Malaysian athletes are facing a dilemma as they await decisions from their respective State Sports Councils to decide whether they will compete in the World Junior Athletics Championships in Peru or prioritise the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Sarawak.
The choice is tough as the dates of both championships are too close to one another – with Sukma Sarawak scheduled for August 17 to 24, while the World Athletics Under-20 Championships are set to take place from August 27 to 31 in Lima, Peru.
Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) technical director Robert Ballard explained that they are currently in talks with the National Sports Institute (NSI) to find several possible solutions. This will then be presented to the respective State Sports Councils for decision-making.
The five athletes who have qualified for Peru are Fiross Faizal, competing in the men’s 110m hurdles, Pengiran Aidil Auf Hajam (100m and 200m) and Hanssen Yap (100m) from Sabah, Ng Tak Sing (triple jump) from Penang, and Sayyid Amin Roslan (200m) from Perak.
“We had a very good report from NSI about what’s required in the management of athletes from one competition to another where you have to travel significant hours and go through a time zone difference of 13 hours.
“How are we going to manage that? So we must now be able to sit down with NSI and discuss recommendations, and we’ll present that to the states to decide.
“If you want your athletes to do both, you might need to do this.
“If you really want to focus on Sukma, then maybe you don’t go to the World Athletics. (If you) choose World Athletics, then you can do Sukma next time.
“I don’t know. There are many options out there. Leave it to them to decide. We’ll present them with the offer and then allow them to choose.
“So MAF is not putting any pressure (on them).
“If let’s say, the states are not keen for their athletes to go to the World Athletics, it’s their call,” said Ballard when met after the working committee meeting with the National Sports Council at Bukit Jalil today.
The decision regarding whether these five athletes will compete in Peru will be announced on June 16, immediately after the conclusion of the Malaysian Open Athletics Championships.
For Ballard, he personally recognises the World Championships as the pinnacle platform for these young athletes. However, MAF cannot force them or the State Sports Councils to participate in the World Championships.
He acknowledges the substantial investments made by each state to develop these athletes specifically for Sukma Sarawak.
“Well, for me, it’s about what the athlete decides.
“(It’s what) they really want…and they (must) sit down with their state.
“What is their vision? There are a lot of significant opportunities for them if they succeed at Sukma.
“So they need to weigh in those decisions the pros and cons. We don’t know if they think that athletics will be their future. Maybe it’s not.
“Maybe they want to study more and go off to be a doctor or whatever else. So maybe that’s not a priority for them. I don’t know.
“So it’s really important that they can make that decision because if they make the decision, we know we’ll get their commitment, and that’s what we want,” he added. – May 14, 2024