NILAI: Former world keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang believes his stellar track record over the years proves that he deserves to get the support he needs to prepare for his final Olympic appearance in Paris next year.
Azizulhasni publicly lashed out at certain figures within the National Sports Council (NSC) last week for keeping him in the dark about support services which had been promised to him prior to him moving back to Malaysia last year.
The Road-to-Gold programme committee are looking into the issue.
The 35-year-old had been based in Melbourne since 2007 as Malaysia did not have a proper velodrome at the time.
The two-time Olympic medallist said he has nothing left to prove.
"As far as I am concerned, I have already proven myself for a long time. I have already won the world title in 2017 and have won medals at the Olympics twice," said Azizulhasni yesterday.
"I would have likely won gold at the Tokyo Olympics if not for a tactical error committed by another rider. Cycling is a completely different kind of sport because it is dominated by Europeans who are a lot bigger in physique.
"For me it's not just about winning, it is about inspiring the next generation. I have shown that despite being small in size, I can still dominate at the world level.
"I have already carried that responsibility (as one of the nation's leading athletes) for a long time. To achieve all this shows that I deserve to get the best treatment (from the NSC). If people still want to deny me this, I don't know what to say."
Azizulhasni won two gold medals at the Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) which concludes at the National Velodrome later today. He has amassed 12 ACC gold medals throughout his career.
The Dungun-born has indicated that he will retire from competitive cycling after the Paris Olympics.