Decision to drop track cycling events will be reviewed
IPOH: The decision to drop six track cycling events from the 2018 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Perak will be reviewed by August subject to certain conditions, said State Youth, Sports and Human Capital Development Committee chairman Lee Chuan How.
He said the review would be carried out i f the Malaysian National Cycling Federation ( MNCF) and contractor of the Velodrome Rakyat here could ascertain ful l International Cycling Union (UCI) homologation, which is scheduled in the first week of August.
Lee noted that if the venue did not meet the satisfactory standard and receive the accreditation in the given time frame, the state government would have the right to be disassociated from the burden of impending failure.
“This is even more so when the safety of our athletes, our nation’s future Olympiads are at stake. As such, I stand firm on my position that the six events are now off the table as endorsed by the state executive council and Menteri Besar.
“The onus is now on the ( Youth and Sports) Ministry as the funder of the project, the contractor, and
This is even more so when the safety of our athletes, our nation’s future Olympiads are at stake. As such, I stand firm on my position that the six events are now off the table as endorsed by the state executive council and Menteri Besar. Lee Chuan How, State Youth, Sports and Human Capital Development Committee chairman
MNCF as the party in charge ascertaining homologation to ensure that our athletes will not be disappointed,” he said in a statement here Thursday.
Last Tuesday, Lee who visited the velodrome announced that six track cycling events would be dropped from the Sukma 2018 on September due to the deplorable state of the velodrome.
Lee added the decision to drop the cycling event was taken as there were no venue contingency plan and that he had discussed the issue with the ministry’s secretary- general , National Sports Council director, along with the contractor who headed the RM11 mi l lion contract, yesterday.
“After being briefed on the complex chronology, and interagency intricacies that has brought us to this juncture, my position remains that the venue is not ready, so therefore a venue contingency plan needs to be invoked,” he said.
Lee said despite the apocalyptic abandoned site of the track, some quarters insisted that there was no problem with the velodrome.
“With patches of openly burnt grass all over, massive damp patches on internal walls, knee high overgrown weeds, and the structure’s interior spaces smelling of a fire scene seeped in dampness, the track is but the tip of the iceberg of a problem that the velodrome presents,” he said.
Lee also said sports federation and the union has no authority over a government decision to ensure athletes’ safety.
“I must , however, sternly correct MNCF’s assertion that the velodrome’s readiness depends on the UCI’s inspection and assessment, and not any other party,” he said. — Bernama