NATIONAL coaches and athletes fear reprisals should Karim Ibrahim return to the Malaysian Athletics Federation at its elections on Saturday after signing a petition against the former deputy president two years ago.
The petition by 15 coaches and 42 athletes led to the formation of an independent inquiry headed by former Court of Appeal judge Tan Sri V. C. George which substantiated many of the allegations against Karim.
MAF subsequently suspended Karim for six years but the latter had the ban overturned in court.
Now, Perak Athletics Association president Karim is the front runner to win the MAF president’s post after securing nominations from the Sabah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Johor and Malacca state associations, which is causing consternation in the local athletics’ fraternity.
Sprints coach Hamberi Mahat and hurdler Noraseela Khalid submitted the independent inquiry report to Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Tuesday in a bid to prevent Karim’s return.
Hamberi acknowledged there is little Khairy can do, short of interfering in MAF’s election process, but hoped that by highlighting the matter it would sway the affiliates from voting for Karim.
“We don’t want him to return but we don’t have the power to do anything,” said Hamberi, who was among those who signed the 2012 petition.
“We are also wondering how the states can nominate him knowing what he had done in the past as laid out in the report.
“The report clearly states that Karim was responsible for the things that happened but if he comes back, a lot of us could be forced out. We have contracts with NSC (National Sports Council) but MAF will have the right to have us dismissed.”
The 2012 independent inquiry found Karim responsible for hiring a Bulgarian doctor who prescribed unknown substances which led to relay runner Yunus Lasaleh’s failed drugs test at the 2011 Sea Games; that Karim told six national athletes to skip dope tests the same year and for Karim’s failure to account for over RM60,000 for a 2009 training stint in Germany.
Hamberi said with the government about to put millions of ringgit into the sport as announced in the recent budget, a lot of people are jockeying for positions in MAF.
Former national head coach Harun Rasheed, who was banned for 10 years by the World Anti-Doping Agency for the dope-test skipping affair, was clear who was responsible for the scandals which blighted the sport.
“Karim destroyed my career,” said Harun, who was implicated by Karim in telling the six athletes to abscond from the tests.
“I hope people will open their eyes to see what is really happening.”
Former Perak AA honorary secretary S. O. Appan, ousted after Karim’s election as the association’s president, called for the postponement of the MAF elections until the issues surrounding Karim are resolved.
“I appeal to the Sports Commissioner to look into this issue,” said Appan, who had been involved in Perak athletics since 1975 before his ouster.
“MAF should postpone the elections until this is settled.”
Karim will stand against former MAF president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, who was also ousted in 2012, and deputy president Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh for the top post in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.