Latest news with #Ramlan
The Star
8 hours ago
- Sport
- 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."
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Leave no stone unturned when treating Tze Yong, says Dr Ramlan
KUALA LUMPUR: A concerted, comprehensive team effort involving everyone from the surgeon to the coach is needed to ensure national shuttler Ng Tze Yong makes a successful recovery after he undergoes anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery. That is the view of former National Sports Council chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Abd Aziz. Tze Yong, who sustained the ACL injury during the recent Malaysia Masters, is expected to go under the surgeon's knife soon. A BA of Malaysia official last week disclosed that Tze Yong had suffered "a complete ACL tear." It is a disappointing blow for Tze Yong who has already undergone two procedures - including endoscopic spine surgery - as he battled back pain over the past year. ACL injuries, which are relatively common in sports that require rapid direction changes such as football and badminton, have in the past been an athlete's worst nightmare. Such injuries have ended athletes' careers or significantly diminished their sporting abilities to the point they are no longer competitive at the highest level. But with advances in sports medicine and rehabilitation over the years, that is no longer the case and Dr Ramlan believes Tze Yong can come back stronger than before if he is guided correctly through the entire process. The first step, he says, is to determine how the injury occurred and which areas of the knee have been affected. "There are many factors to be considered before he undergoes surgery," said Dr Ramlan when contacted recently. "We have to first understand the mechanism of the injury (how it happened). Was it due to one particular instance of hyperextension of the knee or was there perhaps a predisposing injury before? "If there was a partial tear in the knee previously, it would have resulted in diminution - weakening in the muscles -surrounding the knee. "If not spotted or addressed, it is essentially a ticking time bomb. Even a lesser instance of overextension or aggravation could cause a major episode. "You then have to determine whether there has been associated tears within the structures of the knee (involving the posterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, medial lateral ligament, lateral meniscus and medial meniscus). "This is important for the surgeon to decide what needs to be done to ensure the knee can be restored to an optimum state. "The common practice nowadays is to take a sliver of ligament from the hamstring tendon. This way there is no issue with rejection or infections. "The surgeons nowadays are very good and have it down to a very fine science." Dr Ramlan added that in the past ligaments were usually taken from cadavers or the patient's own infrapatellar tendon - underneath the knee cap - though this is no longer the case today. The real work for Tze Yong, however, begins the moment the surgery is concluded. Dr Ramlan stressed that Tze Yong must be mentally prepared to fight his way back to fitness during the rehabilitation process. "After the operation there will have to be some wound care to make sure there are no infections, anything can happen, so this is important," said Dr Ramlan. "Then, as soon as possible, he will have to work on early mobilisation, this is the principle nowadays. This is to minimise muscle wastage as much as possible and overcome stiffness. "The athlete will probably be under the surgeon's physiotherapist (for conventional orthopedic rehabilitation) for the first two weeks but after that it is important to transition to sports (specific) rehabilitation which incorporates the basic principle of training in sports. "It is important to strengthen the muscles around the knees and ensure there is balance between them because these muscles all work in tandem. "Swelling is also expected during the first few weeks and there could also be post-exercise inflammation which can now be treated through cryotherapy. "The athlete must be prepared for this psychologically because the whole process will take time. In my experience, young patients want to get better yesterday (are impatient). Patience and resolve from the patient is imperative." Ramlan added that all parties involved in Tze Yong's rehabilitation process must work together hand in hand. This is especially important considering Tze Yong had previously undergone two procedures on his spine. "His attending doctor must get in contact with the surgeon who did the procedure for his spine and understand what the prognosis was. We have to get the facts right as we cannot afford to assume things," said Dr Ramlan. "It is important all parties work together closely, this includes the surgeon who does the knee surgery, the surgeon who did the spine surgery, the physiotherapist, the strength and conditioning coach as well as the (player's own) coach as well as the association. "The coach is the most important person when it comes to the rehabilitation process and must play an important role in overseeing the whole process. "The athlete can start with isometric exercises (to strengthen muscles) and then progress to isotonic exercises which includes open and closed chain exercises when he is ready. "Correct form is important. All this has to be monitored so there has to be strong cooperation from all parties because we (medical staff) cannot be with him all the time (once he has left hospital). "If I am taking care of a national player and have high hopes of him playing in the Olympics, this is how it has to be done. I cannot afford to leave any stone unturned. "The surgeon has already done his job but that is only 50 per cent of the story. He (surgeon) will not want his work to be undermined by shoddy work in the other 50 per cent (during rehabilitation)." Ramlan said Tze Yong could return to sports-specific training in nine months after the surgery though this depends on various factors. "It is important not to rush the process but at the same time we do not want to be going too slowly. This all depends on the judgement of the doctor in charge of the rehab process," said Dr Ramlan. "There really is no fixed period where I can say one period (of rehabilitation) ends and one starts. "However, I would be disappointed if we were not able to progress to some conditioning work by the fourth month and by the ninth month or so, he should be able to do some sports-specific conditioning work. "This would mean he would be able to train on court with a programme specifically tailored for him."
Daily Express
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Election Commission targets 70pc turnout for Ayer Kuning by-election, urges early voting amid erratic weather
Published on: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Published on: Tue, Apr 22, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Police officers Muhammad Azizie Haqqiem Azman (right) and Muhammad Zaid Muhamad Zaidi (left) have completed their early voting responsibilities for the Ayer Kuning state by-election at the Anggerik Hall, Tapah District Police Headquarters Housing Complex today. — Bernama pic Tapah: The Election Commission (EC) is targeting a voter turnout of more than 70 per cent in the Ayer Kuning state by-election this Saturday. EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun has advised voters to come out early to fulfil their responsibilities on April 26 due to the recent erratic weather. He said for today's early voting, his party is targeting more than 90 per cent of the 500 voters, consisting of police officers and personnel as well as their spouses, to fulfil their responsibilities. Ramlan said the early voting process at two polling centres, namely the Senior Officers' Recreation Hall, 3rd Battalion of the General Operations Force (PGA) in Bidor and the Anggerik Hall of Tapah district police headquarters (IPD) housing complex, which opened simultaneously at 8 am this morning, has been going smoothly so far. 'As of 9 am this morning, 22.8 per cent of early voters have turned out to vote,' he told reporters when met at the Senior Officers' Recreation Hall of Battalion 3, PGA here today. According to Ramlan, all 24 early voters in IPD Tapah are understood to have completed their responsibilities. The Ayer Kuning state by-election was held following the death of incumbent Ishsam Shahruddin due to a heart attack on Feb 22. It is seeing a three-cornered contest between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir, Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Abd Muhaimin Malek and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) candidate Bawani KS. The Ayer Kuning state seat has 31,897 registered voters, consisting of 31,315 ordinary voters and 582 police personnel and their spouses. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * 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
