Weightlifting body stunned by core sports exclusion

SIBU: The Sarawak Weightlifting Association fears that their three years of hard work will go down the drain following the announcement that weightlifting was among the three sports dropped from the list of national core sports.

On Tuesday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that weightlifting, sepak takraw and taekwondo were dropped as core sports due to poor performance or not showing improvement.

He said numerous disciplinary problems such as doping were also the main reasons weightlifting was dropped.

The three sports will also be excluded from the 2018 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Perak.

Responding to this, Sarawak Weightlifting Association deputy president Romeo Christopher Tegong said the move was unfair to athletes from all over the state, who had put in so much effort in

For the last three years, our athletes have been training hard for Sukma 2018. Furthermore, our association had spent so much on the development and tournaments.

training.

He was the latest to join the chorus of voices of those expressing dissatisfaction over the decision.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this was a very cruel decision.

He said the decision was hastily made without having considered the development of the sports and athletes as well as the time and costs taken to prepare for Sukma 2018.

Youth and Sports Assistant Mini s ter Datuk Snowdan Lawan meanwhile hoped that Putrajaya would reconsider the decision.

Snowdan had opined that Ministry of Youth and Sports should not drop the game but ban certain associations or states from taking part in tournaments.

The decision had punctured the dreams and hope of young athletes who were determined to excel in the sports, he added.

On this, Romeo said: “I agree with the statements by both Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Youth and Sports Assistant Mini s ter Datuk Snowdan Lawan.

“For the last three years, our athletes have been training hard for Sukma 2018. Furthermore, our association had spent so much on the developments and tournaments, but in the end, only to see our efforts going down the drain.”

He said that the ministry should focus more on solving the problems with the national sports associations rather than dropping the sports as a quick solution.

“The track and field events also facing the same problem, not only in Malaysia; other count r ies a lso have t hei r problems... will the minister drop the track and field events then?” asked Romeo.

Romeo Christopher Tegong, Sarawak Weightlifting Association deputy president