28/03/2025

SPORTS

FRIDAY | MAR 28, 2025

31

SPORTS

Top 12 target for Pandelela

‘Reinstate high performance director’s post’

Competitions in Mexico, Canada springboard to World Cup in Beijing fighting for a place in the men’s 10m platform final. Despite performing well locally, Ken Nee said Maccartney Harold hasn’t quite been able to replicate that success on the international stage. “So, I think it’s either he’s too nervous, stressed, doesn’t know how to prepare himself properly internationally or simply distracted. There are a lot of possibilities. “The more he competes, the more he needs to understand because he’ll be competing with the same competitors, just at different venues.

THE Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) decision to restructure its coaching setup recently is a wise move but it should appoint a high performance director to lead the coaching teams for both the singles and doubles departments, said national badminton legend Datuk Razif Sidek. He believes that having a high performance director would not only support the country’s coaching lineup but also further enhance the performance of Malaysia’s badminton squad. “Looking at BAM’s current coaching structure, I believe there is a need for a high performance director to oversee the national coaching team. “From what I see, they have head coaches for both the singles and doubles departments, but who will oversee both of these departments? “That is why I think BAM should consider reinstating the position of high performance director, as it had done before,” he told Bernama . Prior to this, the national badminton governing body finalised its key coaching SHORTS NSC removes pregnant clause THE National Sports Council (NSC) has removed the clause that required pregnant athletes to be dropped from training programmes, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. She added that pregnant athletes can now undergo training, although such activities will depend on their capability. “Previously, based on the contract, pregnant athletes have to stop training. But now, in the contract, we have made an amendment and dropped the clause that says those confirmed pregnant cannot undergo training. However, the training will be done according to the pregnant athlete’s capabilities,” Yeoh told reporters at the launch of Taska Team MAS at the National Sports Institute (NSI) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. “For example, the athlete who is pregnant may be an archer and her training is different compared to another athlete. “So, the NSC will assess it case by case so that this clause becomes more woman-friendly.” Elaborating, Yeoh said the contract of women athletes had also been improved by inserting the eligibility for seven days of annual leave and emergency leave (seven days) as well as providing seven days of paternity leave. She said that this is to ensure the country’s sports support system is more conducive to women athletes, in addition to making it easier for them to pursue a career as national athletes even after they have families. Love is in the air SOMETIMES, the most unexpected pairings make the most beautiful unions. Malaysian professional men’s doubles shuttler Ong Yew Sin and Japanese women’s singles player Aya Ohori have officially announced their engagement, and their love story transcends borders, cultures and lifestyles. Yew Sin announced the good news via his Instagram post yesterday, accompanied by a heartfelt caption that read “our forever starts today”. “She said yes. We couldn’t be more happier to share this with the world. Different nationality, different culture and different living style. “We (will) learn to adapt and accept each other’s living style and understand each other’s culture throughout the years… (we still quarrel always),” wrote Yew Sin. The post has, at the time of writing, amassed over 65,000 likes and garnered nearly 3,000 comments, including former world No. 1 Datuk

appointments by naming Kenneth Jonassen as the Singles Coaching Director, while Rexy Mainaky will now focus entirely on his role as the Doubles Coaching Director. Acting BAM president Datuk V Subramaniam stated that the decision was made after careful consideration to optimise coaching expertise and enhance player development across all levels. Meanwhile, Razif emphasised that if BAM intends to appoint a high performance director, the chosen individual must possess expertise in both the singles and doubles sectors. “The person appointed must be well versed in both areas. If they only specialise in one department, I believe there will be issues in the long run. “Additionally, they should also be knowledgeable about the latest developments in badminton, both domestically and internationally,” he said. For the record, among those who have previously held the position of BAM’s high performance director are former national player Datuk James Selvaraj and Dr Tim Jones. – Bernama

N EW national diving technical director Yeoh Ken Nee is keeping his fingers crossed that Datuk Pandelela Rinong can kickstart the new season in grand style by qualifying for the 2025 Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing in May. He said that Pandelela, whose last competitive appearance was in the 2024 Malaysia Open last November, must finish among the top 12 in the women’s 10m platform event in Guadalajara, Mexico (April 3-6) and Windsor, Canada (April 10-13) to qualify for the May 2-4 grand finale in Beijing. “I hope Pandelela can perform well and can go to Beijing. She has been maintaining her performance levels and, so far, it’s

looking good for her. “It is important for her to go to Beijing because it will definitely help her rebuild her reputation,” he told Bernama . Last year, the two-time Olympic Games medallist had a season to forget after missing out on the 2024 Paris Olympics following a disappointing outing at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. Ken Nee said the 32-year-old Pandelela will be accompanied by Enrique Maccartney Harold in Guadalajara. However, Sarawakian Maccartney Harold will not be making the trip to Windsor due to visa issues. As such, Ken Nee has thrown down the gauntlet to the Sarawakian to prove his mettle by

“At the end of the day, it’s up to him to figure it out because we’ve done our best, the coach has done his best and it’s time for him to take charge,” he said. – Bernama Peranakan Chinese Muay Thai exponent fighting against the norm A MUAY THAI exponent from the Peranakan Chinese community has stolen the show not just because of his agility in the ring but also for his bravery in choosing a martial art that his community rarely takes part in. Thirty-four-year-old Cheot Yao Zhong of Kelantan first fell in love with the sport when he was 25, after being captivated by the slick movements of famous Thai action star Tony Jaa in the movie Ong Bak . Cheot said the technique displayed in the blockbuster movie inspired him to try his hand at the highly disciplined martial art. “I was impressed with how Muay Thai is not merely a physical contest but also an art that requires skills, resilience and strategy. “So, I enrolled with the Gajah Putih Muay Thai Club in Kota Bharu to delve deeper into the sport,” he told Bernama recently. Even before venturing into Muay Thai, Cheot had already made a name for himself in the world of self-defence, having represented Kelantan in the 2014 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in wushu. “Sukma is only for those below 21, so I had to find a new direction. Muay Thai was my choice as I wanted a bigger challenge,” he said. However, Cheot said being a Peranakan Chinese exponent who is active in Muay Thai in Kelantan was not an easy thing and admitted to feeling a little isolated. “At first, it was a little awkward because not many from my community were involved in Muay Thai. But, the more I fought, I began to realise that Muay Thai bridged the cultural gap. I was well received by my Malay friends and others,” he said. Throughout his 10 years in Muay Thai, Cheot has competed in various amateur championships, including winning some crucial bouts. Having competed in only three championships at the professional level, Cheot was quick to admit that competition is becoming extremely tough. “The younger exponents are more aggressive and have more energy, especially those in the 70kg category. But I will fight for as long as I can. Anyway, with proper preparation, the risk of injury can be reduced,” he said. – Bernama

Ong Yew Sin (left) proposing to Aya Ohori. – @ongyewsin/Intagram

Lee Chong Wei. “Congratulations to both of you,” Chong Wei commented. National women’s doubles star M. Thinaah shared her joy, saying: “After all these years, finally!”. Singapore’s 2021 men’s singles world champion Loh Kean Yew, wrote: “From friends to fiance, congrats bro.” Yew Sin’s highest achievement on the court was winning a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships with Teo Ee Yi. Ohori, on the other hand, earned a women’s singles bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in China and was part of Japan’s squad that finished runners-up at the 2020 Uber Cup in Aarhus, Denmark. KBS on look out for SEA Games chief executive THE Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) is

searching for a chief executive officer (CEO) for the Organising Committee for the 34th SEA Games and the 15th Asean Para Games scheduled to be held in the country in 2027. Its Minister, Hannah Yeoh said they will hold discussions with the Public Service Department (JPA) to select the individual who will shoulder that responsibility before listing in detail the members of the organising committee of the biennial Games. “After the Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we will hold talks with the JPA to appoint the CEO and it is the CEO who will decide on the appointments of the other committees. “We don’t have much time before we host the Games, so whoever becomes the CEO will have to go with the flow and get cracking,” she said yesterday. Yesterday, the government approved the establishment of the organising committee for the 34th SEA Games and the 15th Asean Para Games.