Foul!

UPDATE Sept 20 (11.28am):  The National Sports Council's sport management director Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdullah is anxious over Sukma drug abuse. Read more here . ---- As published in Malay Mail today. KUALA LUMPUR — Jelinie Empera could be stripped of her Sukma gold medals after the 21-year-old Sarawakian tested positive for steroids. The test results of another two athletes were also being scrutinised. Sukma, featuring athletes 21 and below, is seen as an avenue for young hopefuls to showcase their talent. Sarawak emerged the overall winners of the games after picking up 66 gold, 55 silver and 44 bronze medals. Questions have now been raised as to who could have provided Jelinie with the drugs and the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) has pledged to ban all, including officials, involved in the fiasco. Her coach, Edmund Yeo, who was also the state coach, claimed he is baffled as to how Jelinie had traces of the banned drug in both her urine sa...

As published in Malay Mail today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — Any allocation from the Youth and Sports Ministry for future Malaysia Games (Sukma) will only be for the upgrading works of existing facilities.   Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was the federal government’s policy to ensure all states had a main stadium and that Perlis was the last state to own its sports complex — the Tunku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Sports Complex in Kangar.     “After this, no more (funds for building stadiums),” he said.   “It was a federal (government) policy to make sure every state had it own facilities and that Sukma be held at every state. From now, any allocation from the ministry will be strictly for upgrading facilities.” He, however, said states were free to build their own infrastructure using their own funds.  Khairy was responding to the canvas roof which fell due to strong winds and a downpour at the newly ...

Haresh Says, as published in Mailsport today. “Terlepas pandang” It simply means oversight. And that line is often shared by a businessman acquaintance whom I have met on several occasions. Each time we meet, the subject of oversight by the authorities crops up.     “You know-lah, when officials want to cover up their mistakes, they will just brush the issue aside and say terlepas pandang. I’ve dealt with so many government agencies and I think those two words are in their text books somewhere,” he joked during our recent chat. When national news agency Bernama, had on Sunday, flashed a story about the leakage at a badminton hall hosting the 17th Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kangar, the words “terlepas pandang” crossed my mind.  This was after the canvas roof at the aquatic complex in the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Sports Complex was torn apart, disrupting the swimming competition. The golf course was also not ready with the landscaping delay...