Shapawi: Taekwondo coach temporarily suspended

KUALA LUMPUR: A national taekwondo coach, who is alleged to have humiliated a woman exponent with abusive words, has been temporarily suspended pending an investigation.

National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said the coach had also been asked to leave the athletes’ hostel in Bukit Jalil.

“For now, the training programme will be handled by the assistant coach. We have heard from one side, we must be fair to all parties so, God willing, we will try to resolve this issue as best as we possibly can,” said Shapawi yesterday.

According to Shapawi, this is not the first time that there has been dissatisfaction between the athlete and coach, with the previous complaint having been settled internally with Taekwondo Malaysia.

“I’m not denying that sometimes coaches will issue a challenge or release their anger towards athlete so that they can learn to face pressure and perform well. But as a professional and experienced coach, he should have handled the situation better,” he said.

Shapawi added that this time it was more serious as the athlete’s family had lodged a police report.

The report went viral and caught the attention of the Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican who instructed the NSC to take immediate action.

Reezal said although his ministry took a serious view of the matter, he does not want to make it look as though every time such an incident occurs, he will need to step in to resolve it.

“I cannot take this complaint made by the athlete lightly as this is not the first time, so because of that I have asked the NSC to take action. I am still confident that TM can reach a solution on this matter.” — Bernama