KUALA LUMPUR: Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin stressed that the dropping of three sports – Weightlifting, Sepak Takraw and Taekwondo — from the Podium Programme under the National Sports Council (NSC) is not a form of punishment.
"I need to be firm on this matter. These three sports need, must have their own road maps.
"Once more allow me to stress that, this is not a punishment, but the decision was made based on the performances and the level of involvement of the three associations involved,” he said during a press conference after attending the signing ceremony of a sponsorship deal between 100Plus and the Kuala Lumpur Sports City (KLSC) in Bukit Jalil here today.
Khairy said that the National Sports Council’s (NSC) decision was made after a careful and detailed analysis carried out over a period of six months and it is a first since 2007.
"Weightlifting was dropped because of deteriorating performances and the issue of doping with seven cases over the last four years, while Sepak Takraw di not show any improvement in performances since 2006 with a continued slide down the rankings.
"Meanwhile Taekwondo did not show noteworthy performances nor register positive results apart from problems within the association that is still not united,” he said.
Khairy said that even though the NSC will continue to work together with the said sports associations to help develop all three sports, a detailed study and survey on the performance of core sports will be carried out once every two years.
The Podium Programme began in 2005 with the purpose of increasing athlete participation in eight sports that was listed back then – Athletics, Aquatics, Swimming, Diving, Bowling, Football, Badminton, Hockey, Squash and Gymnastics.
However, three years later, the NSC added 11 more sports – Archery, Cycling, Lawn Bowl, Karate, Silat, Shooting, Sepak Takraw, Taekwondo, Weightlifting and Wushu which expanded the list to 19 core sports in all.
NSC director-general, Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail explained that the three sports associations affected can continue to send their athletes for any championship or tournament.
"They won’t be totally left out, it’s just that they will have to source for their own funding. The most telling after effects of being dropped will be come during the Malaysia Games next September because there will be an impact because it will involve states as well as the pinch of reduced financial aid and grants.
"They will need to find ways and means to develop or come up with their own programmes,” he said.
Translated from Berita Harian