KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu called upon the National Sports Association (NSA) and Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) to make the fairest and best decision when it comes to forming the women’s 4x100m relay squad for the upcoming SEA Games.
“We should not deviate from the principles of selection and must rely on recently achieved merits.
“However, should the NSA have certain strategies behind the selection, it should be explained to the athletes and the public to avoid any misunderstanding and speculation,” the minister said in a statement.
Yesterday, national sprint coach M. Balamurugan expressed his dissatisfaction over MAF’s decision not to enlist Fatin Ilyana Mat Nayan for the Hanoi SEA Games in May despite qualifying for the women’s 4x100m squad.
The 19-year-old emerged as one of the four runners who recorded a personal-best time of under 12s at the Kuala Lumpur All-Comers Championship last weekend.
Faizal said that the athletes’ recent performance should be the benchmark used for the SEA Games squad selection.
The minister added that the four female sprinters, who ran under 12s, deserved to be part of the 4x100m relay team based on their achievements.
Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli recorded 11.62 seconds, followed by Nor Sarah Adi at 11.89s, Azreen Nabila Alias at 11.90s and Fatin Ilyana Mat Nayan at 11.97s.
“The administrator and sports leaders shoulder the responsibility of selecting the best athletes to represent the country in the international arena.
“As such, I should not be interfering with the selection in the first place since these athletes are supposed to be decided upon by the Malaysian Athletics Federation,” read the statement. – The Vibes, March 30, 2022
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