Foul!

The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) had yesterday started their investigation into the selection of an ice skater for the KL SEA Games last year. It is understood the Council's disciplinary board met "four witnesses" including those from the Ice Skating Association of Malaysia (ISAM). The board is investigating claims that the skater in question, who was part of  the 3,000m short track speed skating relay team that won gold, was not being selected by the council for the regional Games. The relay team won the gold medal as Malaysia emerged overall champions in the short track speed staking competition with four gold and three bronze medals. "Two former OCM officials, one allegedly linked to the matter, will be called in soon," said a source. Twentytwo13  had on May 22 reported that an ex-OCM official would be investigated. It was then reported that a complaint was lodged and the matter was referred to the disciplinary board but the matter  was p...

Azim Zabidi (Twitter: @Azim_Zabidi)  Phones are ringing within the circle as conversations zero in on one question: Why was Datuk Seri Azim Zabidi  nominated for the FA of Malaysia (FAM) president's post? Also, why Azim - already wearing several important hats - is considering the opportunity to sit in FAM, a national body that requires a major overhaul. Utusan Malaysia quoted Azim as saying: “Sebelum ini PBNP (Pahang FA) ada menyua­rakan perkara ini kepada saya dan pada mulanya saya menolak kerana merasakan keadaan tidak sesuai tetapi selepas itu mereka mahu mencalonkan saya, saya kata nak calonkan tidak menjadi masalah dan saya berterima kasih kepada Tengku Muda Pahang, Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah di atas kepercayaan ini. “Bukan Pahang sahaja, ada beberapa negeri lain turut menyatakan sokongan tetapi saya perlu berjumpa dengan ahli gabungan lain bagi melihat sokongan mereka, sekiranya tidak begitu kuat, saya fikir lebih baik tidak perlu (bertan­ding). ...

UPDATE: May 5 (1.39pm) OCM's new line up 2018-2021 President: Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria Deputy president: Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Zabidi Vice presidents: Datuk Paduka Mumtaz Jaafar, Datuk Ong Poh Eng, Mahindra Vallipuram, Tan Sri Mohamad Noor Abdul Rahim, Prof Datuk Dr Shamala Subramaniam Secretary-general: Datuk Nazifuddin Najib Assistant secretary-general: Chan Foong Keong & Moira Tan Siew See Treasurer: Ahmad Feisal Ahmad Tajuddin Assistant treasurer: Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill Norza paid tribute to outgoing president Tunku Imran Jaafar and assistanct secretary-general Datuk Sieh Kok Chi.  He had also in his speech said the "workings within OCM cannot be based on the interpretations of one or two individuals".  He was unimpressed with the mudslinging and poison pen letter that surfaced days before today's election, adding: "I'll leave it to the authorities to investigate and name those responsible for the letter...

The question that was posed recently: “So who are you rooting for?” The question I would like to ask: “What is being part of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) all about?” To me, being part of OCM is about upholding the Olympic movement and promoting sports - and as such it should be run by people who have sports and the Olympic movement in their minds and hearts. The objectives of OCM, as listed on its website: And this is the mission and role of the NOC, as provided in the Olympic Charter . The OCM is an umbrella body for sports associations in Malaysia - not the parent body. OCM does not govern any sport. OCM cannot act on its own to select athletes for multi-sporting events like the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and stand advised by the recommendations made by the national sports associations. But certain individuals seem to be overly eager to secure positions or hold on to their posts ahead of the May 5 elections. Why? i. Does one be...

Just like the previous editions of multi-sports events, there are claims those not involved in sports have made their way to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. "We've heard of such instances in the past and such talks continue to surface till today. So many people have been asking for accreditation cards. It remains unclear how many (cards) have been given out to these individuals," said an insider. To erase all doubts, it's best if the stakeholders - especially the Olympic Council of Malaysia - make public the list of officials and individuals who are in Gold Coast 2018. Also, the list should specific the roles they will be playing there. Every official must be there for a reason. Otherwise, the nagging question of "excess baggage" will continue to haunt those involved in the Games and future editions. For the record, Gold Coast is a surfers' paradise, has over a dozen of golden sand beaches, has Sea World -a premier animal marine ...

Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) Tunku Imran’s Year End Message Tunku Imran and OCM secretary general Datuk Low Beng Choo. - Picture from The Sun Daily Another year has almost come to an end. 2017 has seen exciting times for Malaysian sport as in every year, but this year has been extra special as Malaysia hosted the 29 th Southeast Asian Games, after a break of 16 years. It was an even grander affair as the Games coincided with Malaysia’s 60 th Independence Day. I must congratulate all parties for making these Games a huge success starting from the Ministry of Sports headed by the dynamic Brig. Gen. Khairy Jamaluddin, who was also the chairman of the Malaysia SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC), additionally the National Sports Council (NSC), National Sports Institute, the National Associations, coaches, officials and more importantly the athletes themselves. Through the Kita Juara programme, the Malaysian contingent was well prepared ...

UPDATE 10pm:  The National Sports Institute is giving the opportunity for former athletes to share their experiences and be professional coaches through its latest National Coaching Certification Scheme, as reported by NST today.  Read full article here . ---- ORIGINAL ARTICLE On Sept 4, I wrote about life after sports for Malaysian athletes . It became a talking point among current and ex-national athletes which led to former table tennis player Chiu Soo Jiin confessing she struggled, cried for days after retiring as a sportswoman. The article was posted on Sept 5. On Tuesday, former national hurdler Noraseela Khalid alerted me to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) athletes' commission workshop & athlete career programme scheduled on Nov 4 in UPM. The one-day event is organised by the OCM's athletes' commission and UPM's sports academy. Noraseela is OCM's athletes commission chairman.  She will be speaking at the forum...