KUALA LUMPUR – As some in the sports fraternity believe that rewards should be given to athletes who have won a medal, the government looks to set a bad precedent if they were to offer a special reward to national Paralympian, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli, for his disqualified victory at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
This follows the suggestion by Youth and Sports minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, Malaysian Paralympic Council president, Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin and former sports minister, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican for the government to consider rewarding Ziyad for his outstanding performance in Tokyo.
However, a former sports administrator told The Vibes that it would not be fair to other athletes if Ziyad is rewarded.
“I agree that he did so well in the final, but he was disqualified, so why would you want to reward an athlete who did not win a medal? It won’t go down well with other athletes, who also gave their best in the competition without having won a medal.
“Rewards should be given strictly to athletes who bring back a medal.”
Ziyad, who won the gold with a world record-breaking throw of 17.94m, was subsequently disqualified after the Ukrainian team lodged a protest with the technical committee, resulting in Ukraine bagging both gold and silver medals, and Greece nabbing the bronze.
The decision to disqualify the Malaysian − as well as two other athletes from Australia and Ecuador − was based on an infraction of World Para Athletics (WPA) Rule 5.5 regarding ‘failure to report to the call room’.
The source also added that being late to the call room was an utter disregard for the rules and regulations that govern the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
“Ziyad alone should not take the blame for what happened as I would like to see if the MPC or NSC will take action, or at least, reprimand the accompanying officials.
“What was his coach and team manager doing? Why weren’t they making sure that their athlete was present on time in the call room?
“It’s like moving the goalpost as and when it suits you; guess this comes from practice − not being there on time and getting away with it. It is sad, indeed, but tough luck that this happened in an international event, as the judges and Games organisers weren’t so forgiving,” said the source, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of backlash from ultra-supporters on social media.
Meanwhile, former Malaysia Olympic Council (OCM) secretary, Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, had this to say on the matter: “Yes, by all means punish them, but will it bring back the gold medal? My personal view is that this matter has dragged on too long. The MPC should have learnt from the mistakes by all concerned. Make sure they are not repeated. If necessary, change the rules and move forward.”
The MPC will again be appealing Ziyad’s case to the International Paralympic Council (IPC) and World Para Athletics (WPA) after the Tokyo Games is over, but it is unlikely that the decision will be overturned as this outcome rarely happens. − The Vibes, September 3, 2021
