Foul!

On Tuesday, professional boxer Farkhan Haron and I were invited to be on RTM's Planet Sukan  as we spoke about boxing. As we stepped out of the studio right after the show, I asked Farkhan why didn't he fight in the recent Fight of Champions? "Technical issues" was his brief reply followed by a smile. He refused to elaborate further. Farkhan was earlier listed to compete in the Fight of Champions. Farkhan is sponsored by Tunku Ismail. He also said this during Tuesday's live show on TV1. And here's what I learnt hours earlier. Tunku Ismail Ibrahim was supposed to be involved in the fight but a "disagreement of certain terms"  resulted in the Crown Prince of Johor opting out from the event. I wrote, on March 9 , that Manny Pacquiao had visited Tunku Ismail twice late last year over the possibility of organising a boxing match. Later, there were concerns that the organiser MP Production did not engage a local organiser, a requirem...

Several new and would-be parents are crying foul over Tung Shin Hospital's policy that sees a paediatrician on call, instead of a chosen paediatrician, attending to a newborn upon delivery. It is a talking point among parents who claim the policy by the Kuala Lumpur-based private hospital would mean paying for the services of a doctor which is not of their choice. Parents alleged the paediatrician of choice is only available after the baby is discharged. Some of these parents have welcomed their newborn while others are anxiously waiting for the arrival of their bundle of joy. They all insist they should have the right of choice as they are paying for the services.  For the record, the hospital's administration had put up notices of its policy at its premises.  Upon clarification, new mothers and/or new parents were informed they will be able to see their paediatrician of choice for their babies' following check-up. New and soon-to-be parents...

Dear para athletes, I will never know what life is like in a wheelchair or to grow up in complete darkness. I can pretend to understand but I will never know what it will feel until the day I become special, like you. But what I, and many others, do know is that you have never used your disabilities as an excuse not to perform at the highest level. You have all been inspirational, super heroes in so many ways. You have proven that anything is possible if you put your heart and soul into your sport to achieve your goals. While we are still searching for the elusive Olympic gold medal, your fellow para athletes — Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli and Abdul Latif Romly — were given  a hero's welcome after bagging three Paralympics gold medals in Brazil last year. Ridzuan after winning his race in Brazil.  Ridzuan won the nation's first Paralympics gold medal since 1972 after winning the men's 100m T36 (cerebral palsy) race, clocking 12.07s ...

UPDATE (4.01pm): Kuala Lumpur SEA Games chef de mission Marina Chin, a former runner herself, was quoted by Berita Harian as saying: "Kalau ada seseorang itu tidak kiralah sebagus mana pun anda, sama ada anda ada potensi pingat emas sekali pun jika anda tidak ada disiplin dan tidak boleh mengikuti peraturan yang ditetapkan persatuan, maka persatuan bolehlah memutuskan untuk melakukan sesuatu." -----   SPRINTER S. Komalam Shally (pic) breaks her silence following her dismissal from the national women's 4x100m team just days before the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. The emotional 29-year-old reveals all: "I was asked to attend a meeting at the fifth floor of the National Sports Council building. I was in the meeting room and in there were team manager Datuk Salim Parlan and several coaches. I was then told that due to my disciplinary issue, I have been dropped from the SEA Games relay team. I was shocked. I kept quiet for awhile, didn't know what to say...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol RUNNING has been an integral part of mankind's activities for centuries. Men ran to hunt for food while an organised long distance race was first documented as early as 690BC in Egypt. King Taharka mooted and laid down the rules for soldiers to run a 100km race which started in the area between Sakkara Pyramid and Faiyum Oasis before ending at Hawara Pyramid in Faiyum. It was a race where even King Taharka participated, to show his keen interest in the event. Running was part of the ancient Olympics which started in 776BC and the marathon has been featured in every Olympic Games since the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896. Marathons, half-marathons and 10km runs have been enjoying a strong following in Malaysia in recent years, attracting thousands of local and foreign participants. Last season saw a running competition held nationwide practically every other weekend. From the look of things, t...

As published in Malay Mail today Haresh Says By Haresh Deol THE numbers ranged between 25,000 and 500,000. Some stressed the bulk who attended Bersih 4 over the weekend were Chinese. But two men who participated in the gathering were unperturbed with such talk.  “Would it make a difference if I am Justin Lee, Justin Nathan or Justin Mohammed? Whether it is 25,000 or 500,000 people, Malaysians of all walks of life participated and that counts the most,” said Justin, who insisted his last name was immaterial. Justin joined many others who were eager to be heard over the weekend. He said those who attended the rally, deemed illegal by the authorities, had various grouses but were united in their objective — to demand a cleaner and transparent Malaysia. “You can’t place a number. There were many others who could not make it for the rally but were with us in spirit. “I was at Dataran Maybank and there seemed to be more Chinese. My friends who were at Sogo s...

As published in Malay Mail today. BEING FRANK By Frankie D'Cruz IT's annoying isn’t it when the authorities don’t tell you what’s going on in your city? There are ugly, self-defeating, barricades on key streets in the Golden Triangle ahead of a street car race early August — and we will all get lost in the city soon. Weep all you want, now that Kuala Lumpur has been transformed into a dreary, unfashionable and undesirable capital city. The spirit of city life has vanished since the set up for the KL Grand Prix began two weeks ago. No one is saying what sort of research went into holding the event in the heart of KL. What we know is City Hall chose not to hear views from the public, business community and public transport operators. Few knew about the grand prix until four days ago when people vented their frustration to Malay Mail over the disruption to traffic and inconvenience caused to pedestrians. Yesterday, City Hall urban transportation department deputy dir...

A top Asian football official said he had been deliberately smeared on Friday after he was accused of ordering documents to be hidden during an audit triggered by corruption claims. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary Alex Soosay blamed "election fever" after video surfaced of an employee of the Kuala Lumpur-based body making the claim against him. According to the Malay Mail, the AFC`s financial director said Soosay asked him to "tamper (with) or hide" documents during a 2012 audit. The audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers was ordered in the wake of claims of financial wrongdoing by former AFC chief Mohamed bin Hammam, who is now banned from football. But Soosay, speaking to AFP after this week`s AFC congress in Bahrain, said: "The case is closed. It was thoroughly done and dealt with and bin Hammam was suspended. "It`s completely, I don`t know, all of a sudden taken out of context. It`s election fever. But the...

As published in Malay Mail today       Haresh Says By Haresh Deol RAISING my hand furiously to ask questions — from the back of the media room — during a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters, I had to speak up. The first question was related to the case. The second got some stern-looking officers smiling.   “Aren’t you tired of repeating the advice to the public as they continue to fall prey to scams?” I asked. City deputy police chief Datuk Law Hong Soon responded diplomaticaly.   “We advise people not to be easily trapped by fraud, especially the Macau scam. Refer to us if you receive a dubious phone call or believe you are being tricked,” he said after KL police nabbed 52 China nationals from six high-end homes.   I bet Law has repeated the same message over and over. Given a choice, he would rather record his voice and play it each time police bust scammers who lure the vulnerable into losing money. ...

As published in Malay Mail today Haresh Says By Haresh Deol SITTING, standing or hanging on to dear life at the entrance to a sardine-packed minibus was once dubbed a “ride of your lifetime”. It challenged every sense. You had to contend with discarded chewing gum on the railing, sit on a stained seat and endure fumes and body odour. For just 60 sen then, the adrenaline rush when riding the minibus was better than the rides at Starlight Express’ indoor theme park on the top floor of The Mall in Jalan Putra, where the first Yaohan store opened in 1987. That was Kuala Lumpur in the 80s, when everyone claimed they had been in a BMW (fondly known as Bas Mini Wilayah); when Opel Gemini black and yellow taxis ruled the roads and Menara Maybank was the tallest building in town. Kuala Lumpur has transformed from a small tin mining town in 1857 to a bustling world class city. The capital city’s history remains. As JM Gullick penned in his book Ol...