SEA Games 2017 sports list not finalised yet – Khairy
KUALA LUMPUR: The preliminary sports and events list for SEA Games 2017 as announced by the Olympic Council of Malaysia ( OCM) on Wednesday is still at the proposal stage and has not been finalised.
Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said the list of 34 types of sports involving 342 events selected by OCM's Technical Committee was an inaccurate assessment.
"As SEA Games 2017 Organising Committee chairman, I need to make a decision...I feel the list is incomplete and maybe the judgement call was not so good.
"This is the first list by the OCM Technical Committee. It is not the final list. There are certain sports that I personally feel should be included. I feel several important sports were not listed in the preliminary list," he told reporters after opening the 'Moh Bedil' programme at the National Sports Council (NSC) here, yesterday.
The sports chosen are athletics, aquatics, archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, cycling, equestrian, football, futsal, golf, gymnastics, hockey, ice hockey, ice skating, karate, lawn bowl, netball, pencak silat, petanque, seven-a-side rugby, sailing, sepak takraw, shooting, snooker and billiards, squash, ping pong, taekwondo, tennis, tenpin bowling, indoor volleyball, water skiing, weightlifting and wushu.
Five of the 39 sports which were listed earlier namely fencing, judo, triathlon, bodybuilding and canoeing were dropped from the first list.
The list of sports will be presented at the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) Council meeting which will be held here on Feb 24.
A complete list of sporting events at the Games will be finalised at the second SEAGF Council meeting on July 13 and 14.
The 29th SEA Games, scheduled from Aug 19 to 31 next year, will involve participation from 11 ASEAN countries namely Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Timor Leste and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, commenting on top national badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who may not join the Podium Programme despite being offered a new contract by the National Sports Institute (NSI), Khairy said:
"I have discussed with Chong Wei, this is not a question of rejecting... there are technical problems. It is related to sponsorship which I will talk to NSI.
"Chong Wei did not say he did not support the Podium Programme but there are hitches with the private sponsorships and sponsorships rights on him. We will try to overcome the problem next week," he said.
The podium programme is a programme to prepare the best athletes in terms of nutrition, training, facilities, sports science and coaching.
A local media report said the former world number one admitted he had not made a decision on the Podium Programme even though Khairy in a statement said NSI had sent a new contract with amendments so that it would not clash with the player's commitment with sponsors. - Bernama