Foul!

UPDATE (6.42pm):  The Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF) is unaware of an international New Year run in city. MAF president Datuk Karim Ibrahim said: "We had a meeting with KSU (Youth and Sports Ministry's chief secretary), Sports Commissioner and even a representative from police last week and it was decided that all runs, especially international runs, must be sanctioned by the state association and this was agreed by all parties." "No requests were made to us for an international run on New Year's day. We have been tasked to come up with the guidelines and held a meeting today." Karim also said it was wrong for race organisers to use the name of government agencies or any other third party to organise events, especially so when money is collected. --- ORIGINAL ARTICLE The above picture is a screen grab from the Royal Malaysian Police twitter account.  Utusan Malaysia reported:  Beberapa jalan utama di sekitar ibu negara akan ditut...

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 ...

MAF officials met Sports Commissioner Zaiton Othman on December 18 and it was decided that the Sports Commissioner's Office will notify the authorities, including police and local councils, to only approve runs that are supported by either the state associations or the national federation and the Sports Commissioner's Office. This was from my article following the Klang marathon episode, which appeared on the landing page of  Channel NewsAsia's sports section  today. Following the Klang incident, several good initiatives were introduced. But .... Why: 1. No one has asked the police why did they approve a run that is 'illegal' based on the Sports Development Act 1997? 2. Many other runs which have not been approved or listed by the Sports Commissioner's Office, as seen on the Youth and Sports Ministry's website , continue to take place? They include:   i. Bentong Half Marathon which was launched by Transport Minister and Bentong MP Liow Tio...

Zulaikah Nurziana Nasseer in action at the 100Plus Amateur Golf Championship that ended yesterday. - Picture from Zulaikah Local golfer Zulaikah Nurziana Nasser was roped into the national team yesterday. And the 15-year-old has this to say to her peers - get out and get some sun! "I travel a lot ... so much at times. Yes, there are times I wished I could just stay at home and do what every 15-year-old would do as well," said Zulaikah. "But spending time out has reaped results. So yeah, they (children and teenagers) should get out and get some sun. " She was quick to admit it was easier said than done. "It boils down to interest at the end of the day. You just can't force it (someone to love sports)." Zulaikah, who turned 15 on September 14, admitted she was nervous when told she made the cut to the national squad two weeks ago. "I was really excited but nervous ... I wasn't playing my best in the past last two tournaments ...

The first letter that stated trials for KL's U19 team is on Dec 25, 2017 Guess what is happening on Dec 25, 2017? Christmas! AND .... Trials for Kuala Lumpur's Under-19 team. Wow! And this is what someone within the city football structure said: "Of all the 365 days they have to have the selection on Christmas day. Is PBKL (KL Football Association) not aware it is a public holiday. Don't they have any respect on this festival. Are they depriving some of the players who will be celebrating Xmas which come once in a year. Officials in PBKL, wake up." KL Football Association quickly changed the date to Dec 23, 2017. New letters were issued this morning (below). The letter with a new date sent out today. Another case of terlepas pandang ?

We have over 300 athletes who have donned the national colours at the Olympics. Sadly, only 22 Olympians turned up for the Malaysia Olympians Association annual general meeting this morning. WHY? And where are the younger athletes? Former cyclist Ng Joo Pong put the absentees to shame. Having to use a walker, Ng drove all the way (alone) from Shah Alam to Wisma OCM for the meeting.  The others who attended the meeting were: Khairuddin Zainal (Hockey - 1972, 1976) Ariffin Ahmat (Athletics - 1968) Karu Selvaratnam (Athletics - 1964) Noraseela Khalid (Athletics - 2012) Khoo Cai Lin (Swimming - 2008, 2012) Fazin Saad (Cycling - 1972) Ong Ewe Hock (Badminton - 1996, 2000) Jeffery Ong (Swimming - 1988, 1992) Dr M. Jegathesan (Athletics - 1960, 1964 & 1968) Tai Beng Hai (Hockey - 1992) Iman Gobinathan (Hockey - 2000) Josephine Mary (Athletics - 1988) R. Yogeswaran (Hockey - 1964, 1968) R. Pathmarajah (Hockey - 1972, 1976) Mir...

UPDATE (Dec 11; 11.58am): Sporting events approved by Sports Commissioner's Office will be posted on the Youth and Sports Ministry's website starting Dec 14, as revealed by the Sports Commissioner in her statement today. I'm glad the last point of my observation (as per posting right below) has been addressed. --- UPDATE (10.57pm): A Twitter user had sent me a link by the organiser of the Klang Heritage Marathon 2017.  It states that the marathon has been "postponed to Oct 14, 2018" and that they have been victims of fake news and will lodge reports with the authorities against materials with elements of defamation or fake news. Read the full statement, posted on Dec 2,  here . --- ORIGINAL POST Screenshot of FMT's report. A Klang City International Marathon 2017  pacer suffered serious injuries after she and two others were hit by a car .  Turns out that the organiser of this morning's event, Earth Runners International Group Sdn ...

Pic from Jelita (http://www.jelita.com.my/gaya-hidup/dolly-dim-sum-kini-di-sunway-putra-mall/) THE Mall - once a shopping haven in the 1990s and just walking distance for those who lived at Pekeliling Flats. The main attraction was its indoor theme park - Starlight Express - where rides like the Matterhorn and The Ship were a hit. It was (and still is) a meeting place for politicians - mainly Umno members as the headquarters is  located just opposite the main road. Today the Mall has been re-branded to Sunway Putra Mall. Starlight Express is no more as the space now houses cafes and restaurants. But the most famous eatery is Dolly Dim Sum - located on the ground floor near the main entrance. And it is here you not only get delicious halal dim sum but also interesting conversations about Umno and politics. "It's clear some people are gunning to take on big roles to elevate their status in both Umno and the government," said a long-time Umno member and a cl...

  Some 70 out of the close to 160 staff from the Malaysian Organising Committee (Masoc), the organiser of the KL 2017 SEA Games and Asean Para Games, have had their contracts cut short. The employees were handed their letters on Nov 30 and told to leave by Dec 31, 2017. For the record, the one month termination notice "by either party" is in line with Masoc's contract with their staff. The decision was made following a meeting between Masoc and the Youth and Sports Ministry recently. Some of them, with existing contracts that run between 15 months and two years, are wondering on what grounds were they being asked to leave early. They also wished they were given the heads up. "We are fully aware the one month's (termination) notice is clearly stated in our contracts. We are just wondering how was the list (of those asked to leave early) drawn out," said an insider who refused to be named. "We learnt some 70 staff are involved in this exercis...

They were both in their 20s, armed with fibre optic cables and tools. The two gentlemen, Telekom Malaysia contractors who install Unifi in homes and offices, were generous with their smiles and knowledge. And they had interesting tales to tell. One of them shared his experience: “There was this customer who insisted that we did not drill a single hole in his home. He said the fibre optic cable could go through the windows instead. We explained to him that the fibre optic cables are sensitive and could be damaged easily if it was not wired properly. We even communicated the matter with our superior and he too told us to not install the devices. The customer got angry as we told him we could not entertain his request. He took the modem, router, and other equipment which was initially supposed to be installed in his home. He refused to return them to us and scolded us instead. I had no choice but to lodge a police report as the customer took our things.” These contractors belong to c...