KUALA LUMPUR – Sprinter Fatin Ilyana Mat Nayan was not selected to participate in the 2022 SEA Games because she failed to meet the selection criteria, said the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF).
In a statement, its president Datuk S.M. Muthu said the selection committee registered six athletes for the women’s 4x100m relay. Fatin, however, was not listed because she was ranked seventh during the selection process.
The selection process was held during the Malaysian Open Athletics Championship on March 5-6.
The statement further read that all six athletes, who have been registered, were then required to participate in the Kuala Lumpur All-Comers Championship on March 26 to select the best five for the SEA Games in Hanoi as required by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
“The MAF selection committee and coaching committee met on March 7 to select athletes for the 2022 SEA Games, which is scheduled in May.
“We appreciate what Fatin Ilyana has achieved so far, and we will monitor her progress in the future.
“Although her coach registered her for the KL All-Comers Championship and she had clocked a time of 11.97s in the 100m event, the federation decided that any achievements recorded during that time cannot be taken into account as the tournament was not part of the qualifiers for the SEA Games,” said Muthu.
Meanwhile, OCM secretary-general Datuk Nazifuddin Najib echoed Muthu, stating that “the athletes were selected based on their best record during the selection process. Any new result that comes after it is considered invalid.
“We must respect the system and follow the deadlines. Once we have sent the final list (for SEA Games participation), we cannot change it by looking at new competition results,” he said.
At the same time, national sprint coach M. Balamurugan, when contacted, said he was instructed not to comment further on the issue following his meeting with other team coaches, MAF and the National Sports Council. – The Vibes, April 1, 2022
