KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry will be enforcing the regulation for national para athletes to be accompanied by supporting officers in any international tournament with immediate effect.
Its minister Hannah Yeoh said the move was taken to ensure the safety and needs of para athletes during their participation apart from ensuring the focus of the athlete is not affected.
“I have ordered the National Sports Council (MSN) to coordinate the requirement so that para athletes could devote full attention to perform their best at international-level championship,” she told reporters after a working visit to the Malaysia Paralympic Sports Excellence Centre here today.
Hannah said the decision on the number of supporting officers for national para athletes is however subject to the participation quota stipulated by the organiser.
According to her, MSN and Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) will ensure knowledgeable officers in the specific sport be given the responsibility of escorting officers.
“The decision is in line with Clause 12.4 on the Governance, Role and Responsibilities of Athlete Support Officers in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athlete Classification Code.
“The clause explains that athlete support officers can be appointed from among coaches, medical staff, parents or any individual who helps athletes in their career as a sportsperson and must be experienced and comply with all the guidelines and rules outlined in the IPC Classification Code,” she said.
Hannah said the ministry has prioritised providing sufficient allocation so that it can be channeled towards the purpose.
Meanwhile, commenting on the unsatisfactory performance of the national badminton squad at the 2023 Badminton Asian Mixed Team Championship (BAMTC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), she said that she would hold a meeting with the athletes involved.
“Athletes need sufficient focus and mental strength and make sure the balance is there. We can’t just put pressure on them, they’re not robots, they’re human and we (can’t) just want the best results without listening to their problems,” she said.
Malaysia once again failed to end its losing streak in the quarter-finals of the tournament when the national team lost 2-3 to the ‘backup’ squad of China yesterday. – BERNAMA
