08/07/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | JULY 8, 2025

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‘Harimau Malaya are no pushovers’ National squad in right shape to take on stronger sides, says Scully

SHORTS NSC to create safe sports environment

THE National Sports Council (NSC) continues to strengthen its initiative to create a safe sports environment through a special training program involving “focal point” officers for the Safe Sports Code. The two-day training program, attended by 92 officers from 57 national sports associations, was officiated today by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Adam Adli Abd Halim. The program aims to prepare “focal point” officers who are responsible for being agents of awareness and instilling elements of safe sports education among athletes at various levels. “Through this two-day training program, the knowledge and understanding of the officers are enhanced in aspects such as identifying offences and risks, complaint management procedures, case reporting, and activities to increase awareness and educate sports practitioners about a safe sports environment. “This is in line with the ‘Safe Sports Framework’ established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which emphasises collective responsibility from the grassroots level of sports up to the national level,” the NSC statement said yesterday.

L OCAL FOOTBALL observer Datuk Richard Scully says Malaysia may have been drawn in Group B alongside world No. 18 Iran for the Central Asian Football Association (Cafa) Nations Cup 2025 next month, but the Harimau Malaya are no pushovers. He said any opponent would be wise not to underestimate them, as he believes the national

After the tournament, Malaysia will resume their remaining Group F fixtures in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers, starting with matches against Laos in Vientiane on Oct 9 and in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14. They will then face Nepal in Kathmandu on Nov 18, before taking on Vietnam away in March next year. Meanwhile, sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli cautioned that three straight defeats in the group stage could shake fan confidence in the new-look Harimau Malaya, especially among those still unconvinced by the inclu sion of heritage players. “At the very least, we need to reach the semifinals for fans to continue feeling proud of this Harimau Malaya side. “If we suffer heavy losses or crash out early, expectations will dip and it’ll give critics of the heritage player concept the opening they’ve been waiting for to lash out,” he said. He also urged for the consistent inclusion of heritage players throughout the tournament, believing their presence is key to strengthen ing what he described as one of Malaysia’s strongest squads in recent memory. – Bernama

being seen as underdogs. “It’s too early to predict anything, but what’s clear is that teams are starting to pay close attention to Malaysia. The Malaysia of old is not the same as the Malaysia of today. “Now, any team facing us will be on alert. I don’t expect there to be big scorelines from either side,” he told Bernama . Scully has urged the Harimau Malaya to step onto the pitch without being weighed down by world rankings, insisting that “num bers are just numbers” and anything can hap pen once the whistle blows. He stressed that while a win would be a welcome bonus, a loss should not be seen as a disaster, but rather a chance to identify and address weaknesses ahead of bigger battles to come. Apart from facing heavyweights Iran, Malaysia (ranked 131st) will also take on hosts Tajikistan (104th) and Afghanistan (160th) in Group B. Malaysia will kick off their campaign against Tajikistan on Aug 29, followed by clashes with Iran on Sept 1 and Afghanistan on Sept 4. All matches will be played in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

squad has undergone a major transformation and is now in the right shape to take on stronger sides. He said Malaysia’s recent resurgence has not gone unno ticed, with oppo nents beginning to take notice, a clear sign

At the same time, the statement informed that the Ministry of Youth and Sports aims to establish an efficient and responsive network among “focal point” officers. This is to increase

that the team is n o longer

awareness of safe sports and successfully achieve a significant reduction in incidents of harassment and abuse among athletes. Seven silat exponents from Labuan selected for Sukma ‘26 SEVEN silat athletes from Labuan have been selected to represent the Federal Territories in the upcoming 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma 2026), following their

National women’s sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli. – BERNAMAPIC

Harimau Malaya players in action recently. – BERNAMPIC

Zii Jia pulls out of Japan Open

outstanding performance at the recent Three-Corner Silat Championship Sukma Selection for the Federal Territories. The championship held on July 4 and 5 at the Financial Park Convention Hall here, saw top silat exponents from the three federal territories – Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, competing for national-level selection. National Silat Association (Pesaka) Labuan chapter president Mohd Khairul Abdul Ghani, said Labuan’s athletes demonstrated remarkable skill and determination throughout the event. “Our athletes have shown tremendous performance, and their hard work paid off with seven of them now confirmed to join the Federal Territories Sukma squad next year,” he said. He said Kuala Lumpur emerged as overall champions of the tournament, bagging 18 gold, seven silver, and two bronze medals. Labuan secured second place with five gold, 11 silver, and nine bronze medals, while Putrajaya finished third with four gold, nine silver, and 10 bronze. Mohd Khairul said the selection marks a significant milestone for Labuan’s silat development and reflects the growing strength of local talent. “The result proves that Labuan silat is on the rise. With continued support and training, we hope to bring honour to the Federal Territories at Sukma 2025,” he said.

MALAYSIA’S professional singles shut tler Lee Zii Jia has withdrawn from the 2025 Japan Open Badminton Championships, which will be held from July 15-20. The latest development was reflected on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website, which stated that the 27-year-old player will not be competing in the tournament. However, no official statement has been issued by Team LZJ regarding his withdrawal. Zii Jia injured his ankle during the World Tour Finals last December and

good condition and that there is noth ing to be concerned about regarding his cryptic social media sketches shared on Friday. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the council, along with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, had con tacted Team LZJ to seek clarification over Zii Jia’s actions. The cryptic post by Zii Jia has since garnered over 131,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments, sparking specula tion over its meaning, including claims that he may be facing personal health or mental health issues. – Bernama

made his return in March at the Orleans Masters, where he lost to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-23, 7-21 in the quarterfinals. He then competed in the 2025 All England Championships in Birmingham from March 11-16, where he was knocked out in the first round by Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, 21-19, 16-21, 12-21. The world No. 8 subsequently with drew from the 2025 Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland, held from March 18-23, due to the same ankle injury. Last Saturday, the National Sports Council (NSC) confirmed that Zii Jia is in

Zaidatul balances coaching duties in bid for SEA Games ’25 NATIONAL women’s sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli does not want her coaching duties at the Bukit Jalil Sports School (SSBJ) to interfere with her dream of competing at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand in December. already working, so the recovery process is taking a bit more time. “I didn’t even realise I had the injury during the competition. It was only after returning home that I found out there was a tear in my foot ligament, but I’ve continued training slowly,” she said when met recently. have already qualified. But we still want to see how things go towards the end, especially in the final stages before the selection is made,” said Zaidatul, who was recently appointed an athletics coach at SSBJ. She also expressed hope that the return of sprint coach Mohd Poad Kassim to the national squad would help her maintain consistency.

The 32-year-old athlete, also known as “Adik”, said her focus now is on recovering from a ligament injury in her foot, sustained while competing at the Asian Track and Field (ATF) Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May, as she works towards qualifying for the biennial Games. “It’s a bit challenging because Adik is

She also said she is preparing to compete in the upcoming Malaysia Open as part of her build up to the 2025 SEA Games. “For now, my main focus is, of course, the Malaysia Open because I want to qualify for the SEA Games, and more importantly, I want to improve my time compared to what I ran in Korea. “Actually, based on my top 3 timing, I should

“As an athlete, we naturally hope to have a coach by our side for motivation. As sprinters, there are technical aspects that need to be refined, and sometimes we don’t even realise the mistakes we’re making – only an experienced coach can detect and correct them,” she said. – Bernama