KUALA LUMPUR - A total of 25 Malaysian athletes have so far qualified for the July 23-Aug 8 Tokyo Olympics.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said this was after Malaysia earned a reallocation slot for the women’s recurve archery event.
The National Archery Association of Malaysia (NAAM) will decide on the archer to fill the slot in due time.
“Five more athletes - in athletics, golf and swimming - are still waiting to learn their fate. For Paralympics, 19 athletes have already made the cut while 12 more are awaiting their qualification status,” he told a virtual media conference after the Tokyo 2020 Malaysian contingent coordination meeting today.
The five athletes still waiting for their qualification status are Lee Hup Wei (high jumper), Azreen Nabila Alias (women’s 100m), Kelly Tan (women's golf), Welson Sim (men’s 200m/400m freestyle) and Phee Jinq En (women’s 100m breaststroke).
Meanwhile, Reezal Merican said that national badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei will remain as the country’s chef de mission (CDM) for the Tokyo Olympics.
The minister said he would hold a joint meeting soon with the three-time Olympic silver medallists and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria to discuss the matter in detail.
Chong Wei was previously reported to have said that he would not join the athletes in Tokyo due to health factors and, instead, would carry out his responsibility from Malaysia.
Chong Wei was announced as the CDM in June 2019 following his announcement that he was hanging up his racquet after being diagnosed with nose cancer in September 2018. However, he was confirmed to have fully recovered after undergoing treatment in Taiwan.
Reezal Merican said the date for the handing over of the Jalur Gemilang, to be graced by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and the athletes’ meeting with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would be announced later.
The national contingent’s medal target would be announced a week before the Tokyo Olympics begin.
Meanwhile, Norza said they would replace archer Khairul Anuar Mohamad as the flag bearer for the Olympic opening ceremony if he can’t shoulder the responsibility.
“There has been an indication from Khairul. If he is still reluctant, we will have to replace him with another male athlete. Only athletes who are free that time... I think mostly badminton, so we will decide soon,” he explained.
Khairul Anuar was picked as a flag bearer together with national mixed doubles shuttler Goh Liu Ying, but the archer had voiced his concern about taking part in the opening ceremony (on July 23) as will be in action in the mixed team event on the morning of July 24 if a woman archer qualifies for the Tokyo Olympics. - Bernama, 30 June, 2021
