KUALA LUMPUR: The Reform in Sport and Excellence (RISE) press conference on Saturday highlights the need for clarity, accountability, and systemic reform in Malaysian athletics.
Rather than descending into a witch-hunt against Malaysia Athletics president Datuk Karim Ibrahim, stakeholders should reflect on how the sport has reached this impasse.
Accountability must also extend to current and former council members, who claim Karim was ineligible following his 2018 suspension by World Athletics, then known as the International Association of Athletics Federations.
If the suspension covered all aspects of governance, the council members should have ensured Karim relinquished his Perak Athletics Association presidency. Council members had years to act, but chose silence.
The decision by the world body to suspend Karim was later upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the duration and scope of the suspension remain unclear. Karim has denied claims that he was banned for life.
As former athletes and administrators discuss how to revive the sport, they must also address how to reform Malaysia Athletics from the grassroots – including removing ineffective leadership at council and state levels.
A realistic action plan is essential – term and age limits for council members, independent eligibility checks for office bearers, and public disclosure of disciplinary rulings. There should be action, not just words.
Speakers at the upcoming RISE event include Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed, former National Athletes Welfare Foundation chairman; double international Lieutenant-Commander (Rtd) S. Karunakarer; Heptathlon queen and former Sports Commissioner Datuk Zaiton Othman; former hurdlers Hamdi Jaafar and Noraseela Khalid. Noraseela is also president of the Malaysia Olympians Association.
RISE maintains that it is acting out of proactive responsibility, not merely reacting to controversy.
Meaningful reform requires addressing the entire ecosystem of Malaysian athletics – governance, oversight, and accountability – rather than focusing solely on leadership disputes.
As the athletics community looks ahead, the challenge is to reconcile past disputes, clarify Karim’s eligibility, and implement reforms that restore trust, ensure transparency, and support sustained excellence.
Those present this Saturday must rise to the occasion and deliver clear, credible reforms that rebuild trust and secure the sport’s future.