Will Malaysia boycott Paris Olympics over Ukraine war?

PUTRAJAYA – As the 2024 Olympic Games draw near, pressure mounts on the sporting world following the International Olympic Council’s (IOC) decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.

Although they said that the athletes are required to compete under a neutral flag, some 40 countries have been reported to condemn the IOC’s decision and are looking to boycott next year’s competition, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ukraine, as well as host country France.

As for Malaysia, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the country has yet to take a stance on the matter.

However, it will soon be decided after a formal meeting is held with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria and OCM committee members this week.

“We have yet to discuss this with OCM. I am sure Tan Sri Norza will bring this to the committee’s attention when we meet this week.

“We (Hannah and Norza) have had some initial discussions, but this is something we definitely need to discuss with the committee.

“But how other countries respond is separate from how we will respond. Let me discuss with OCM first,” she said during a press conference here today.

Meanwhile, Yeoh also noted the RTG committee has shortlisted athletes under the programme that aims to help the country win its first Olympic gold medal.

However, she was unable to announce the names of selected athletes after considering the views of three former athletes on the RTG Committee – badminton’s Datuk Lee Chong Wei, hockey’s Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi, and squash’s Datuk Nicol David.

“From the beginning, they asked not to announce the names of athletes listed for the Olympic Games qualifying because the qualification period is still ongoing.

“Each sport has its own qualification period. For example, if today an athlete is ranked 10th in the world and is eligible to receive a form of assistance in RTG, but he could not make the cut next year, a new athlete could come in and qualify for the Olympics.

“So, if we announce the (athletes) list now, people will think that is the fixed list, which will only create confusion among the public,” she added.

Yeoh also said that the government will help model prospective athletes in their pathway to win the country’s first Olympic gold medal. – The Vibes, April 4, 2023