None of our athletes involved, say NSC director-general Jefri
NO national athlete has signed up for the controversial Enhanced Games, as far as the National Sports Council know.
Their director-general Jefri Ngadirin said he has not received any report of athletes under the council being poached by the organisers of the Games.
Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters.
RM12.33/month
RM8.63/month
Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters.
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The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Ramlan urges athletes to say no to Enhanced Games
PETALING JAYA: Former National Sports Council (NSC) director-general and Anti-doping Agency of Malaysia (Adamas) head Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz has urged all the relevant authorities to strongly denounce the Enhanced Games and take proactive steps to prevent local athletes from getting involved in it. Ramlan said the Games, touted by its organisers as a sporting competition that embraces the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs, was a blatant affront to sporting values, national ethics, and athlete welfare. "When I first heard about the games and how it encourages the use of PEDs, my immediate reaction was one of disbelief," said Dr Ramlan, who led Malaysia's anti-doping movement between 2017 and 2020. "It is completely against the ethos of sports. We created anti-doping guidelines for a reason - to protect the integrity of competition and safeguard the health of athletes. What the Enhanced Games is proposing is cheating, plain and simple. It is immoral." Dr Ramlan said the organisers' notion of pushing the human body to its limits by allowing banned substances not only threatens the credibility of sports but sets a dangerous precedent, especially for young and impressionable athletes. "Their goal is to explore how far the body can go with enhancements but at what cost? It is not just a violation of sporting codes, it's a direct threat to the health of those involved. We must never normalise this." He also pointed out that the Enhanced Games holds no legitimacy in the eyes of the global sporting community. "It's not part of the official sporting calendar, it has no formally recognised athletes or testing protocols. Anybody could take part and that makes it impossible to police. It's not even a clinical or regulated act within any nation's sporting framework." Dr Ramlan, who was instrumental in anti-doping education in Malaysia, recalled how Adamas conducted extensive outreach during the Malaysia Games, educating young athletes on the dangers of doping and the ethical responsibilities of elite sport. "If any of our athletes under national programmes are thinking of participating in such a competition, they're foolish to do so. Years of anti-doping work and preparation will go to waste." He acknowledged, however, that recreational athletes and the general public remain a vulnerable group. "For people outside our structured sporting ecosystem, like gym-goers, it's harder to reach them. But when something like the Enhanced Games comes up, it becomes even more crucial that the message is clear doping is a danger to your health. Stimulants are a no-go. "If we want to fight this, the best solution is to ensure no one competes in it. It must be a joint effort across government bodies, sports organisations and the wider community."
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
What's big, glowing and no longer Olympic? Paris has the answer
The Paris Games may be over, but the flame is still rising - just don't call it Olympic. The helium-powered hot-air balloon that lit up the French capital's skyline during the 2024 Games is making a dramatic comeback to the Tuileries Gardens, reborn as the "Paris Cauldron.' Thanks to an agreement with the International Olympic Committee, the renamed marvel will now lift off into the sky each summer evening - a ghostly echo of last year's opening ceremony - from June 21 to Sept. 14, for the next three years. Gone is the official "Olympic' branding - forbidden under IOC reuse rules - but not the spectacle. The 30-meter-tall (98-foot-tall) floating ring, dreamed up by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and powered by French energy company EDF, simulates flame without fire: LED lights, mist jets and high-pressure fans create a luminous halo that hovers above the city at dusk, visible from rooftops across the capital. "It's one of those monuments in Paris that could stay,' said Laurent Broéze, a local architect pausing in the gardens on Thursday. "It was set up temporarily, but a bit like the Eiffel Tower, it makes sense for it to return. It's a bit of a shame they want to take it down later, but maybe it could be installed somewhere else, I don't know.' Though it stole the show in 2024, the cauldron's original aluminum-and-balloon build was only meant to be temporary - not engineered for multiyear outdoor exposure. A view of a sculpture of the biblical Cain by Henri Vidal next to the Olympic cauldron and its balloon on the day of a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, at the Tuileries Garden in Paris, France, 12 June 2025. YOAN VALAT/Pool via REUTERS To transform it into a summer staple, engineers reinforced it: The aluminum ring and tether points were rebuilt with tougher components to handle rain, sun and temperature changes over several seasons. Aérophile, Paris's tethered balloon specialist, redesigned the winch and tether system to meet aviation rules, allowing safe operation in winds up to 20-25 kph (12-15 mph). Hydraulic, electrical, and misting systems were fortified - not only to ensure smooth nightly flights but to endure months of wear and tear untested on the original design. These retrofits shift the cauldron from a fragile, one-off spectacle to a resilient, summerlong landmark - prepared to withstand everything Paris summers can throw at it. The structure first dazzled during the Paris 2024 Games , ignited on July 26 by Olympic champions Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner. Over just 40 days, it drew more than 200,000 visitors, according to officials. Now perched in the centre of the drained Tuileries pond, the cauldron's return is part of French President Emmanuel Macron's effort to preserve the Games' spirit in the city, as Paris looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Visitors have already begun to gather. "Beautiful,' said Javier Smith, a tourist from Texas. "And the place where it's going to be, or is sitting now, it's beautiful. All these beautiful buildings, the Louvre, all that is fantastic.' Access is free and unticketed. The cauldron will be on display from morning to night, igniting with light from 10 a.m. and lifting off each evening after the garden closes - 10:30 p.m. in June and July, with earlier times through September. It will float above the city for several hours before quietly descending around 1 a.m. The "flame,' while entirely electric, still conjures a sense of Olympic poetry. "Yes, we came for a little outing focused on the statues related to mythology in the Tuileries Garden,' said Chloé Solana, a teacher visiting with her students. "But it's true we're also taking advantage of the opportunity, because last week the Olympic cauldron wasn't here yet, so it was really nice to be able to show it to the students.' The cauldron's ascent may become a new rhythm of the Parisian summer, with special flights planned for Bastille Day on July 14 and the anniversary of the 2024 opening ceremony on July 26. It no longer carries the Olympic name. But this phoenix-like cauldron is still lifting Paris into the clouds - and into memory. – AP
Daily Express
13 hours ago
- Daily Express
Lifter Irene bags gold
Published on: Saturday, June 14, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 14, 2025 By: GL Oh Text Size: Irene with her gold medal. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah's Irene Jane Henry won a gold medal in the women's 48-kilogramme category for the country at the South East Asia Weightlifting Championship held in Singapore at the D'Marquee @ Downtown East on Friday. The invitational only event is held to serve as a warm-up for the 33rd South East Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand scheduled this December. Advertisement Sabah Weightlifting Association president Philip Gisan congratulated Irene who is the only representative from East Malaysia to make the national team. He hopes the positive outing will motivate her to achieve more success internationally in the future, especially at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2026. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
