Foul!

Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad has hit back after being chided by Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin for announcing the construction of a Class 1 covered velodrome on Monday. Naim said his statement was not out of place even though a final decision had not been made by the ministry. “I have no intention to make any decision for any party but I know what I am saying,” said Naim, in a statement to members of the media, yesterday. “My view is not out of place ... I did not jump the gun.” Read Naim Fury . Meanwhile, in my second column of the week, I write about 'proposals'. They are never easy, trust me. Read 'Haresh Says' in today's Mailsport . HD says: Another long day ahead!

It was an unnecessary comment that riled many. It also got some of us thinking — is there room for racism and politics in Malaysian sports? The Malaysian sporting fraternity is filled with politicians, literally. A quick check among the candidates who stood in the just concluded 13th general election says a lot. Kelantan FA president Tan Sri Annuar Musa won the Ketereh parliamentary seat. KLFA deputy president Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani is now the Titiwangsa MP. FA of Malaysia vice-president-cum -national team manager Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal lost his Taman Templer state seat while KLFA exco member Rusli Baba failed miserably as an independent candidate in Lembah Pantai. The outcome of the general election also saw unwarranted remarks made, fueling anger and hatred. One that certainly caught the attention of those in the sporting scene was a Facebook posting made by Malaysian National Cycling Federation deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad. Naim, who is a Bukit Cina (Malacca) ...

"Malaysia needs more sports icons who are able to inspire the nation, especially the young generation." Those were the words of Prime Minister Najib Razak while he was on radio station Melody FM yesterday. It was only natural for Astro Awani's Kamarul Bahrin to zoom into the quote as it turned into a topic of discussion -  Mencari Ikon Sukan (Seraching for the Sports Icon) - on Agenda Awani (channel 501) last night. Present on the show were Olympic Council of Malaysia council member and a man that needs no introduction in the national cycling federation Naim Mohamad and UiTM's Science and Recreation Faculty senior lecturer Sadek Mustaffa. The guests agreed it was difficult to churn another Lee Chong Wei or Nicol David ( pic ). But there is a need to ensure the gap between the best and the rest is not as wide as it is today. They also agreed it simply boiled down to grassroots development. Naim said; "It's a long process to search for world champ...

What does Merdeka mean?   Pandelela Rinong - national diver, London Olympic bronze medalist “Merdeka means we are free from penjajah and we stand together as one.” Azizulhasni Awang - national cyclist “Merdeka literally means freedom from colonialization but in the new millennium, in the current context of our country, Merdeka reflects our country’s solidarity in the advancement towards being a developed nation and most importantly how we bring about the paradigm shift of our mentality to another level.” K.Rajagobal - national football coach “Merdeka holds a significant meaning to all of us. It reminds us of our grassroots and the ability to be harmonious in our country. Everybody should respect the values. Malaysia is a blessed country and we should not think of the negatives and look at the positives. It’s a country filled with colours.” Sieh Kok Chi - Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary “I’m proud and happy we have progressed so far. My beli...

UPDATE  Aug 10, 10.15am : Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said Malaysians should not point fingers and blame sports associations if athletes failed to deliver. He said that everyone involved should take responsibility including himself. Read more in today's NST . At least Shabery is man enough to shoulder the responsibility. ------ Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) deputy president Naim Mohamad ( pic) clarified that he was giving up his Track Cycling Development Committee chairman and not the deputy president's post. This was flashed by Bernama today . This contradict earlier reports of him supposedly quitting the deputy president's post as seen here . There are apparently efforts to get BA of Malaysia (BAM) president Nadzmi Salleh to quit the hot seat. However, such talks have been on-going for several months now. Those who defend Nadzmi will say at least during his tenure the sport has netted two Olympic silver medals (2008 & 2012). ...

In conclusion, Fatehah Mustapa was not in her element during this Keirin competition. She was nervous and she was not focused on the job at hand. She hesitated and was overwhelmed by the whole situation. She is only 23 years old, she has a good four years to qualify for the next Olympics and made good her failure here in London. That summed up national cyclists Fatehah Mustapa's debut at the London Olympics - as per a report by team cycling leader Naim Mohamad. Nevertheless, Fatehah ought to be credited for qualifying to the Summer Games as others continue to struggle to do so. One wonders what coach John Beasley has got to say about the report below.  Women’s Keirin Report 3rd August, 2012 at 4-00 pm Olympic Velodrome, Olympic Park. Eighteen riders contested the Women’s Keirin on day two of the Track Cycling programme at the London 2012 Olympics on Friday 3rd of August, 2012. Great Britain’s Victoria Pendleton won the inaugural Gold Medal for the W...