PM Anwar offers support to gold medallist walker Saravanan battling same illness as Mokhtar Dahari
KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife have shown their support for former race walking champion G. Saravanan, who is now fighting Motor Neurone Disease.
Political secretary to the PM, Datuk Ahmad Farhan Fauzi, visited Saravanan yesterday to offer a donation and words of encouragement on their behalf.
In a post on Facebook, Ahmad Farhan said Saravanan was diagnosed in 2021 with MND, the same illness that afflicted the late national football legend, the late Datuk Mokhtar Dahari.
'Although his speech is now limited, the strength of spirit he radiates clearly shows how courageously he faces this challenge.
'The fire of a champion's spirit that will never fade,' he wrote.
MND is a rare, progressive neurological condition that affects the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, loss of movement, and eventually, paralysis.
Saravanan's name is forever linked with national pride after his gold medal win in the 50km walk at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Today, his battle continues off the field, facing a debilitating illness with quiet strength and dignity.
The visit also included Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli and officials from National Athletes Welfare Foundation, reflecting the broader recognition of Saravanan's legacy.
The delegation offered prayers for his health and reaffirmed their support for athletes facing life after glory.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Cordina to return at lightweight against Gonzalez
Joe Cordina has not fought since his only professional defeat in May 2024 [Getty Images] Former IBF super-featherweight champion Joe Cordina will return to the ring on 5 July to fight Mexico's Jaret Gonzalez at lightweight. Cordina, 33, lost his title to Anthony Cacace in a surprise defeat in Saudi Arabia 13 months ago. Advertisement The Welsh boxer had been due to make his comeback against Shakur Stevenson in October, but the WBC lightweight champion pulled out with a hand injury. Cordina's return to lightweight - where he won British and Commonwealth titles earlier in his career - will come on the undercard of Jack Catterall v Harlem Eubank at Manchester's AO Arena. Responding to the announcement on social media Cordina simply posted: "Baby I'm back." Gonzalez, 24, is 17-1 in a career that includes 13 KOs, similar to the Welshman's 17-1 (9 KOs), though not at the same level as Cordina who has moved back to south Wales and will train for the fight with Gary Lockett. Advertisement Cardiff's Cordina was a decorated amateur boxer who fought at an Olympics and in the same Team GB programme as his friend Anthony Joshua. He won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and was European amateur champion in 2015. After turning professional in 2017 he became Wales' 13th world champion boxer when he beat Kenichi Ogawa to claim the IBF super-featherweight title in June 2022. He was stripped of the title when he was unable to defend it within a 90-day window after suffering a broken hand but won it back with a hard-fought split-decision win over Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in April 2023. Advertisement He then made one successful defence, a majority decision win over Edward Vazquez, before losing to Northern Ireland's Cacace in May 2024. Prior to that first professional defeat promoter Eddie Hearn had predicted Cordina was set for some "huge fights" if he could retain his title. His previous promotional contract with Hearn's Matchroom having since elapsed, this will be Cordina's first fight of a new deal with the organisation. More boxing from the BBC
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Common Psychiatric Medications May Increase Risk of ALS
New research shows that people who take certain psychiatric medications may be more likely to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND). This study, which was led by a team from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, raises some important questions about the connections between psychiatric symptoms, ALS, and MND, and how they might be targeted for treatment. Anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, and antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed drugs for psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. In terms of increased ALS risk, it worked out as 34 percent, 21 percent, and 26 percent respectively for the three drug types. The increased risk is extremely small when taken in context with the low prevalence of ALS itself. Yet understanding these links could help improve our understanding of motor neurone disease and provide insights for specialists prescribing ways to treat common psychiatric disorders. "In this case-control study, prescribed use of anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, or antidepressants was associated with a higher subsequent risk of ALS," write the researchers in their published paper. "Prediagnostic use of such medications was also associated with a poor prognosis after ALS diagnosis." At the moment, there's no cure for the progressive debilitation that ALS causes, as parts of the nervous system break down – leading to paralysis and, eventually, respiratory failure. The team also identified a slight increase in rate of decline and risk of an earlier death among those diagnosed with ALS who had been exposed to one of a number of psychiatric medications. The researchers used national health data in Sweden to compare 1,057 people with ALS who had been diagnosed between 2015 and 2023 with more than 5,000 controls matched for age and sex who had no MND diagnosis. The researchers also accounted for genetic and environmental factors in their analysis, further backing up the idea that the increased risk of ALS was connected to the medication – or the reasons the medications were prescribed. The data isn't enough to show the drugs are directly causing the increase in ALS risk. It's also possible that other health-related factors are causing both the prescription of psychiatric medications, and the higher likelihood of an ALS diagnosis. "This study adds to growing evidence that individuals with psychiatric conditions may face an elevated risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS," says neuroscientist Susannah Tye, from the University of Queensland in Australia, who was not involved in the study. "However, the implication that psychiatric medications themselves contribute to this risk should be interpreted with caution." Given that previous research has found people with psychiatric disorders are also more at risk of developing ALS, these results may provide some much needed detail to the overall picture of how these different conditions, and their causes and treatments, fit together. It's worth noting that ALS remains a rare condition, affecting around 9 in 100,000 people in the US. Depression and anxiety are much more common, which means millions of people take these medications to treat their mental health without ever developing ALS. Over time though, scientists are gradually understanding the different factors that affect ALS risk, which should provide clues as to how it might one day be effectively treated. The research has been published in JAMA Network Open. Dementia Risk Declining With Each Generation, Says Promising New Study Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Finds New Smart Dental Floss Can Detect Your Stress From Saliva
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Greenock Junior Parkrun welcome nearly 50 fanatics in wild weather
GREENOCK Parkrun welcomed nearly 50 fitness fanatics to the Esplanade for a hectic event at the end of last month On a morning when the weather was ever-changing, 28 junior park runners and 19 hi-vis heroes took part in the latest junior parkrun. Advertisement Andrew James stopped by as he was raising cash for MND (Image: Greenock Parkrun) Breagha received her half marathon wristband as she ran her 11th junior parkrun last week. Tait, Theo and Jay all completed their 11th junior parkrun, whilst Ruby completed her 21st. All four will receive their wristbands next time they run. Personal bests were achieved by Breagha, Rosalind, Remy and Jack. One of the Parkrun's timekeepers, Andrew James, was visiting Greenock whilst walking from John O'Groats to Land's End raising money for MND and parkrun charities. MORE PARKRUNS Elijah was first to finish this week in 08:13. Coming in second was Rudy who finished in 08:29 allowing Sam to round out the top three boys just over a minute later. Advertisement Anna was first for the girls in 08:38 and with a personal best of 09:12 was second placed girl, Breagha. Cadhlea completed the top three girls in 09:16. A Parkrun spokesperson said: "Parkrun organisers are very grateful to the volunteers who made this event happen: Gillian Clark, Iona Clark, Lesley Clark, Graham Crawford, Lesley Dick, Gillian Falkingham, Richard Falkingham, Lynne Fulton, Rhona Hair, Tracey Howe, Andy James, Fiona MacFarlane, Lorna Maclean, Marjorie Morrison, Rachel Neil, Judy Ormond, Susanne Stetz, Caitlin Taylor, William Taylor "We are looking for volunteers for the next few weeks. If you would like to help out or find out more about volunteering, please email batteryparkjuniors@