Foul!

1. I was jogging earlier this evening when a group of men, in their 40s, were smoking on the same pathway.

2. One of them stopped me and asked: "Abang, exercise hari-hari boleh hidup lama ka?" while the other two were sniggering.
3. I replied: "Mungkin mati esok, janji happy." And I continued jogging.
4. While it may seem as an innocent joke, or perhaps it's the alcohol talking, it is deeply disturbing for someone to downplay something as important as exercise. Even sadder, October is Bulan Sukan Negara.
5. But I have noticed that this is the perception by many - that jogging or exercising on a daily basis is only for the "entitled few". Some view it as a "waste of time" and that "exercising daily will not guarantee growing old gracefully." 
6. Some of my friends, who exercise almost daily, have heard others saying: "Orang kaya sahaja boleh exercise hari-hari." and "Alah, poyo lah. Bukannya atlet negara pun."
7…

... because they just can't seem to express themselves.

1. Character is important in sports. It builds confidence and ownership of an athlete to the sport. Basically, those who ooze character are passionate about the sport they represent.

2. But there is obviously no place for rude athletes, regardless how good they are. Having said that, it is no rocket science to single out an "arrogant / harmless" comment compared to a downright "rude" comment.

3. Athletes speaking out against organisations or even world federations are not new. They are entitled to speak for they are the reason the sport is alive - not the officials.

4. In March, all 28 members of the current US women's football team sued the US Soccer Federation for gender discrimination. The same month, Athletics Kenya lambasted a decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to scrap the 5,000 metres from the Diamond League programme as “illegitimate”. At last year's…

The Borneo Post today reported that the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Sarawak and Sabah have agreed to set up the East Malaysia Sports Commission (EMSC).

The proposal for the establishment of the commission, according to the report, is to facilitate the organisation of more sports programmes in the two states.

The report raises several questions:

1. Will the East Malaysia Sports Commission be part of the Sports Commissioner's Office or will it stand on its own?

2. Were the Sports Commissioner's Office and Youth and Sports Ministry in Putrajaya consulted about the move?

3.  Will the EMSC be governed by the Sports Development Act?

For the record, the Sports Commissioner's Office has an office in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, as listed on its website. The Sports Development Act clearly states that those intending to organise local or international events must obtain approval from the Sports Commissioner's Office or face fines and/or jail time.

News website Twentytwo13 had…

Press release
Malaysian waterski darling Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah can certainly stand tall after rounding up the International Waterski and Wakeborard Federation (IWWF) Waterski World Championships on a high. With nothing to lose, the 16-year-old delivered another outstanding showing in the women’s tricks final to score 7,440 at the Water Sport Complex, Putrajaya today. The score was better that her achievement of 7,320 in the preliminaries and it is yet another new Asian open women’s tricks record. She finished ninth following several upsets with American Erika Lang and Canadian Neilly Ross fumbling their runs. Aaliyah also finished 10th in the women’s overall category with a score of 1,984.63. “I think it was a pretty good way to finish despite the fact that I fell at the end and I’m lucky that the judges didn’t take away those points from my tricks run,” said Aaliyah who has a personal best of 7,600. “I’m usually not so consistent with my scores because nerves get to me and I tend to mess up…

Press release


National youth head coach, Kwan Yoke Meng is eyeing for improvement from his young charges at this year’s Celcom Axiata Malaysia International Junior Open (CAMIJO).

A total of 41 players from the national youth setup featuring Kok Jin Hong, Ooi Jhy Dar, Yap Roy King and Fazriq Razif are set to take on heavy hitters that include world junior No. 10 Christo Popov of France and world junior No. 21 Sirawit Sothon of Thailand.
“My target for this tournament is to achieve better than last year’s record of four representatives in the quarterfinals.

“I hope that the young players will be able to take this opportunity to upset their opponents and gain more confidence in their own abilities,” said Kwan.

The 53-year-old coach will have to make do without the services of men’s singles shuttler, Lee Shun Yang who picked up an ankle injury in training while fourth seeded mixed doubles player, Gan Jing Err is a doubt due to foot injury.

PRESS RELEASE It’s a huge breakthrough for Malaysian waterski darling Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah after she reached her first final at the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) Waterski World Championships. Starting eighth in the women’s tricks preliminaries series 2, the teenager was at her calmest under intense pressure as she racked up a total of 7,320 points at the Water Sport Complex, Putrajaya on Friday. That temporarily put her in the lead and it proved to be more than enough as she eventually finished ninth. Only the top 12 skiers progress to the final and Aaliyah’s achievement is a massive step forward as she becomes the first ever Asian skier to reach a tricks final. Additionally, her score of 7,320 is also a brand new Asian record, erasing her own previous record 7,250.It is shy of her personal best score of 7,600 but the spunky 16-year-old was simply elated to make the final. “I really don’t know what to feel right now. It’s just so cool to be in the final of the worl…