KUALA LUMPUR: The selection of athletes for the women's 4x100-metre (m) quartet to the Hanoi Sea Games in Vietnam in May must be based on merit.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (pic) said this should also be the case for all sports bound for the biennial Games.
"I follow closely issues raised regarding the selection of athletes but I have no intention to meddle in the decisions made by the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF).
"However, I feel there is a need to remind sports administrators and leaders of their responsibility in selecting the best athletes to carry the country's challenge on the international stage,” he said in a statement today.
Ahmad Faizal said that based on the current situation, the four women sprinters who have managed to clock under 12 seconds (s) in the 100m event should be selected to form the 4x100m quartet.
The four are Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli, who has clocked 11.62s, followed by Nor Sarah Adi (11.89s), Azreen Nabila Alias (11.90s) and Fatin Ilyana Mat Nayan (11.97s).
He said the ministry, however, understood that the final say on the athletes’ participation in the Sea Games under Category B was up to the national sports associations (NSAs).
“If the NSA have a strategy in selecting certain athletes, they should explain it to the athletes and public so as not to give rise to any misunderstanding or speculation,” he said.
He hoped that the MAF and other NSAs would study in detail all aspects of the selection of athletes and make the best decision for the success of the Malaysian contingent.
Yesterday, a Bernama report quoted national sprint coach M. Balamurugan’s disappointment with the MAF for not listing Fatin Ilyana Mat Nayan for the Hanoi Sea Games.
He said that based on her current performance, the 19-year-old qualified to be in the women's 4x100m quartet when she emerged among the four runners to record their personal best at the Kuala Lumpur (KL) All-Comers Championship last weekend.
