Strict security measures assured at muay thai venue during SEA Games
Malaysia Muaythai Association president Datuk Muhammad Shahnaz Azmi said all participating delegates were taken on a site visit to the competition venue in Songkhla last week, and found preparations to be well on track.
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The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Shah Firdaus out to complete unfinished business in SEA Games
High aim up north: Shah Firdaus, who is under the Road to Gold programme, has been given the nod to make his first SEA Games appearance in Thailand.
New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Pay coaches what they deserve or be prepared to pay the 'ultimate price'
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must pay top local coaches what they are worth or be prepared to face the consequences if they move abroad. That is the view of sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli when asked about the departure of a number of Malaysian diving coaches and the sport's decline here in recent years. Pekan stressed that when it comes to remuneration, there should not be any double standards between foreign and local coaches if the latter have the right calibre. "In Malaysia currently there is a different salary scale for local (Malaysian) coaches and foreign coaches," said Pekan when contacted today (Aug 1). "We are always willing to pay big money for a foreign coach to come here but will not do the same for local coaches. "This should not be the case if our local coaches have strong credentials. Our divers, for example, were world class when they were competing as athletes and are sought after as coaches. "If they are qualified and are committed to coaching, there is no reason they should not be given a similar remuneration to the foreign coaches who come to work here. "It is okay to allow our local coaches to move abroad if they genuinely want a new challenge in their careers. "But they should not be moving abroad because they are disheartened by the environment or the remuneration here in Malaysia." Over the past year, Malaysia has lost former national divers Bryan Nickson Lomas and Wendy Ng to the South Korea and Singapore national teams. Bryan had previously been working with Malaysia Aquatics as diving technical director while Wendy was coaching the Federal Territories (FT) Malaysia Games squad. Debutante Ainslee Kwang, 14, became the first Singaporean to reach the semi-finals (women's 10m platform individual) at the ongoing world meet in Singapore after placing 13th in the preliminaries. In contrast, Malaysia's Lee Yiat Qing, 17, placed 29th in the same event and thus, missed the top-18 cut for the semi-finals. For a country that is used to winning world championship and Olympic medals in the past, it is a worrying development for Malaysian diving. Pekan said this is the risk Malaysia faces if it continues to lose coaching talent. "This is not the first time it has happened. We lost K. Dharmaraj to Indonesia and they went on to beat us at the 2023 Sea Games (indoor hockey)," said Pekan. "Ultimately, this is the price we will pay if we do not pay our top local coaches what they deserve. "Our coaches will end up developing talent in other countries and give them the knowledge that they have accumulated over the years. "In the end, these countries will go on to beat us in sports we have traditionally excelled in." The national diving squad have not given fans much to cheer about at the ongoing World Championships in Singapore, which concludes on Sunday (Aug 3). So far, the only positive results have come from Elvis Clement and Enrique Harold who did well to finish seventh in the men's 10m platform synchronised event on Tuesday (Aug 29). It was the best-ever performance from a Malaysian pair in the event. The duo will compete in the men's 10m platform individual event tomorrow (Aug 2). In swimming today (Aug 1), Malaysia's Arvin Singh, Jayden Tan, Khiew Hoe Yean and Andrew Goh placed 16th from as many teams in the men's 200m freestyle relay preliminaries after clocking seven minutes and 29.30 seconds.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Coach Sharmendran carries on as officials decide his status
KUALA LUMPUR: R. Sharmendran will continue to coach the national karate team for the Sea Games in December while his post is being discussed by the powers-that-be. Sharmendran was initially appointed as national development team coach following his retirement as a national karateka in 2023. But he was moved up to the senior national team as interim coach last December following the unexpected depature of Egyptian coach Tamer Abdelraouf Mohamed Mourssy. The Malaysia Karate Federation (Makaf) is currently discussing with the National Sports Council (NSC) to determine Sharmendran's position in the national set-up. Malaysia are expected to do well in karate at the Sea Games after winning four gold, two silver and four bronze at the 2023 Cambodia Sea Games. Sharmendran said he is committed to continue training the national team, but is hoping for a swift decision on his position from Makaf and NSC. "Being the head coach of the national team is a chance for me to improve things based on my experience of nearly 15 years as an athlete," he said. Under Sharmendran's guidance, the national karatekas have been showing improvement especially C. Shahmalarani who is currently ranked world No. 12 in the women's below 55kg class. She also won silver at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in May. Newcomer won gold in the men's below 55kg at the Southeast Asian championships in June.
