Decision on Israeli Paralympic swimmers for world meet stays
KUALA LUMPUR: The decision stands!
Malaysia will not allow Israeli Paralympic swimmers to participate in the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in Kuching from July 29-Aug 4.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (pic) said the matter was discussed in the cabinet meeting and they were clear over Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision.
“We will not be accepting the athletes because we are following the government’s instructions. The ministry has sent an official letter to Sarawak and we will also be informing the organisers about our decision,” he said after attending the Wheel-Walk-Fun Run Programme to commemorate the national-level International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration at the Malaysia Paralympic Sports Excellence Centre (MPSEC) yesterday.
When asked if the ministry fears any repercussions from international sporting bodies for future events, the young minister just replied: “This is the government’s stance and we will follow it.”
On Thursday, Dr Mahathir said that if the Israeli squad insisted on participating in the championships, it would be a violation of the ban.
The championships are seen as an essential platform for qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
This is not the first time Malaysia has issued such a stance on athletes and officials.
In 2016, FIFA revoked Malaysia’s rights to host the 67th FIFA Congress in 2017 for failing to provide a guarantee that visas would be issued to all delegates to the Congress.
In another matter, National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said that para-athletes who did not get contracts from NSC will be transferred to their respective states for training programmes.
“If they perform well, we will take them back. For now, we want to concentrate on the younger athletes and mould them.
“For those who did not get contracts, it is not over yet. They have to prove themselves to be part of NSC’s programme,” he said.