Takraw association insists sport remains in Sukma

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association ( PSM) has insisted that the National Sports Council ( MSN) puts sepak takraw back as a national core sport and retain the event in Malaysia Games ( SUKMA) next year.

Its president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Ismail said the association did not intend to make any appeal as there was no reason to drop the sport from a list of 19 national core sports.

He said PS M possessed comprehensive materials and reports to show sepak takraw is still relevant and is eligible as a national core sport.

“Up till now, there was no concrete explanation from MSN directorgeneral ( Datuk Ahmad Shapawi) on dropping sepak takraw to PSM,” he told a media conference after chairing a PSM emergency exco meeting at its headquarters yesterday.

Elaborating further, Ahmad Ismail said PSM would be arranging for a meeting with Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to discuss and reach a consensus to overcome the crisis.

“We will not be discussing with MSN. We will only talk to the minister ( Khairy Jamaluddin). We will table all the facts on the performance of sepak takraw to allow the minister evaluate and make a decision for himself,” he said.

In this regard, he said on the initiative of PSM, the Sepak Takraw League was held and it garnered a rating of more than five million viewers when the tournament was aired live via a paid television channel this year.

“We have so many fans yet suddenly sepak takraw appears to be marginal is ed ... we will garner the support of all quarters to defend the sport,” he said.

Ahmad Ismail said PSM took over sepak takraw in 2003 from MSN and in two years, the sport had delivered a gold medal to the country in the inter-regu event at the 2005 SEA Games in Manila. — Bernama