Latest news with #SeaGames
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Wake-up call from Singapore for Malaysian diving
KUALA LUMPUR: Have Singapore overtaken Malaysia in women's diving? It appears so after Malaysia's Sea Games champion Lee Yiat Qing failed to qualify for the women's 10m platform semi-finals at the World Aquatics Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore on Wednesday. The 17-year-old Yiat Qing recorded 240.20 points from six dives to end up 29th out of 37 competitors in the preliminary round. Italy's Sarah Jodoin Di Maria claimed the final semi-final spot after finishing 18th with 267.85. Here is the worry. It's not just about missing the semi-finals. It's a sign that Malaysia's women's diving — which has delivered gold at World Championships level and Olympic medals — has been deteriorating, and now probably behind Singapore. At the world meet, Singapore's Ainslee Kwang came in 13th with 285 points, 16 places above Yiat Qing. Ironically, Malaysian Olympian Wendy Ng is linked with the rise of Singapore as she has been in charge of talent development there since January. South Korea, who have Malaysian Olympian Bryan Nickson Lomas among their coaching staff, saw their diver, Moon Nayun, finish 14th, ahead of Yiat Qing with 280 points. An inconsistent Yiat Qing registered scores of 67.50, 33.35, 33.75, 68.80 and 36.80. Malaysia Aquatics diving technical director Yeoh Ken Nee described Yiat Qing's performance as "mixed", but said it was a valuable experience for her. "She had a few good dives today and some not so good, it was a mixed performance. "This is her first World Championships, and she needs more exposure at this level. We're also using this to assess her ahead of the 2026 Asian Games," said Ken Nee. Earlier in the week, veteran Pandelela Rinong withdrew from the 10m synchro — she partnered Yiat Qing — due to injury after just two dives. She pulled out from the individual event later. In swimming, Jayden Tan clocked a season's best of 2 minutes 07.07 seconds to finish ninth in Heat 2 of the men's 200m individual medley — slightly faster than the 2:07.11 he recorded at the World University Games in Berlin two weeks ago. "I'd rate it eight out of 10. We only arrived from Berlin a few days ago, and we're still a bit jet-lagged — but that's no excuse. "My backstroke needs improvement, it's always been my weakest stroke," he said. Khiew Hoe Yean posted 50.77s in the 100m freestyle to finish seventh in Heat 8. He and Jayden failed to progress to the next round.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Cycling coach hopes for peace ahead of Thailand Sea Games
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) team principal Sayuti Zahit hopes Thailand and Cambodia will resolve their differences amicably before the Thailand Sea Games (Dec 9-20). Thai and Cambodian forces clashed for five days across their border, killing at least 36 people and displacing over 200,000, before both sides agreed to an unconditional ceasefire yesterday (July 27). Sayuti said the Thailand Sea Games mass start road race route could be affected if the conflict reignites as the finish line at the Khao Yai National Park is less than 190 kilometres from the Thailand-Cambodia border. The start for the individual and team time trials in Prachin Buri is roughly 160km from the border. Sayuti had co-coached the Malaysian national road cycling team during the last two editions of the Sea Games in Hanoi (2021) and Phnom Penh (2023). He is expected to reprise the role for the Thailand Sea Games. A total of four MPC riders have been shortlisted for the Thailand Sea Games squad. "We really hope that both Thailand and Cambodia will settle their differences amicably in the spirit of Southeast Asian (Asean) brotherhood," said Sayuti when contacted today (July 29). "This is the first time we (MPC) have encountered such a situation and it is a bit worrying for us because the routes are not really that far from the border. "Ultimately, the safety of our riders and staff remains our absolute priority and we will continue to monitor the situation. "We will follow any directives issued by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) or the government ahead of the Sea Games." Cambodia had hosted the previous edition of the Sea Games in 2023. The Sea Games is a biennial multi-sport competition intended to provide athletes from Asean nations a platform to showcase their skills and boost camaraderie among athletes from Asean countries.
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Hao Sheng looks to 'upgrade' Sea Games medal collection
KUALA LUMPUR: National tennis team stalwart Koay Hao Sheng is hoping he can reunite with doubles partner Mitsuki Leong and make it to the deciding rounds at the Thailand Sea Games (Dec 9-20) this year. Mitsuki and Hao Sheng claimed bronze in the men's doubles at the 2023 Phnom Penh Sea Games. The duo also won bronze in the men's team event together with Christian Liew. Hao Sheng was also part of the men's team that won bronze at the 2021 Hanoi Sea Games. "I have won three bronzes during the last two editions of the Sea Games in Hanoi (2021) and Phnom Penh (2023)," said Hao Sheng recently. "I am definitely hoping to win a better colour medal this time. It won't be easy but I will definitely try my best. "It would be great to partner Mitsuki again. I believe the association (Tennis Malaysia) is still trying to secure him for the games. "Hopefully they can come to an agreement." Hao Sheng recently led the national squad to promotion in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group IV competition in Kuala Lumpur together with Darrshan Kumar, Daniel Prickett, Leroy Yong and Naufal Kamaruzzaman. Hao Sheng, 27, who was the most senior player in the squad, won all four of his matches, dropping only one set throughout the tournament. Mitsuki did not feature in the Davis Cup as he has been focusing on improving his singles rankings on the ATP Tour. The 20-year-old hit a career No. 605 last month, the highest a Malaysian player has achieved in decades.
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Yeoh hopes for end to deadly border clashes ahead of Thailand Sea Games
KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh hopes that the deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia will be resolved before the Thailand Sea Games in December. Malaysia are expected to send up to 700 athletes to compete in 48 sports at the biennial games which will be held across three areas: Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla. Yeoh said the National Sports Council would await further instructions from the Home Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry. "We are worried about it, but our prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is doing his best to talk to both countries. There was also a discussion in the cabinet, and we want peace in this arena," said Yeoh after officiating the National Combat Sports Championships at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today. AFP reported that Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a third day on Saturday, as the death toll from their bloodiest fighting in years rose to 33. A long-running border dispute erupted into intense conflict involving jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis Friday. "The Sea Games is coming up in December, and we do hope this matter can be resolved amicably and quickly because, at the moment, it definitely creates a lot of uncertainty for the athletes. "Everybody is asking. But for the National Sports Council, we are constantly monitoring the situation, not just through external news sources, but also by referring to the foreign ministry for guidance. "As of now, nothing has changed, but we will have to see how things develop. Preparations are ongoing as usual." On another matter, Yeoh said the Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) needs to find additional funding for its road cycling team. Earlier this year, NSC allocated RM300,000 to the MNCF for road cycling, but only RM196,000 remains after RM104,000 was used for preparations and participation in the Asian Championships in Thailand. And MNCF has requested additional funding following feedback from professional teams Terengganu Cycling Team and Malaysia Pro Cycling. It was reported that both teams requested RM250,000 from NSC to cover training and competition expenses, including warm-up races, in preparation for the Sea Games. Yeoh said funding cannot come solely from the government, and that National Sports Associations (NSAs) need to play their part. "We can channel funds to help, but the NSAs need to work hard to secure sponsorships. Sponsors won't come if the administration of the NSAs is weak or if there are corruption issues. "When the NSAs are well-managed and focused on athlete development, as we have seen recently, sponsors will step in. But the moment there are disputes and court cases, it becomes a waste of time. I don't want NSAs to face such problems. "There are NSAs where officials don't know how to look for sponsors. If you don't know how, bring in people who can help. You cannot rely 100 per cent on government funds," said Yeoh.
New Straits Times
23-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
MPC prepared to meet NSC 'in the middle'
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) team principal Sayuti Zahit is hoping they can come to a "win-win solution" with the National Sports Council (NSC) regarding funding for the Thailand Sea Games (Dec 9-20). Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MCNF) president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill today (July 23) ordered the MNCF road cycling committee to prepare a new budget request for the Sea Games to be submitted to NSC by the end of the week. The new budget will take into consideration requests from TSG and MPC. Sayuti views the move positively. He attended a meeting to discuss preparations for the Sea Games together with representatives from NSC, MNCF and TSG in Bukit Jalil today. "I am grateful that everyone attended the meeting, especially the president (Amarjit). It shows that we are all working together to find a solution. Hopefully we will get a better outcome than before," said Sayuti. "Hopefully NSC will give us some leeway and meet us in the middle. We can compromise but let it be a win-win solution for all parties. "Once the new budget has been submitted we will wait to see what the counter-offer is like." NSC had early this year allocated RM300,000 to MNCF for road cycling though only RM196,000 remains after RM104,000 was spent on preparing and sending riders to compete at the Asian Championships in Thailand earlier this year. During a meeting with TSG, MPC and MNCF earlier this month, NSC had indicated that they were not keen on allocating additional funds for the Sea Games road cycling squad. MPC and Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) subsequently stated that they will not release their riders for the biennial games if NSC does not meet their requests for funding. MPC had also requested for new time trial bikes. TSG had previously requested RM250,000 from NSC to cover training and competition expenses (at warm up races) to prepare their riders for the Sea Games. It is understood that MPC had been seeking a similar amount. It is, however, unlikely either team will get the full amount they have requested.
