KUCHING: Sarawak's youth and sports minister said the scathing attack by Malaysia Aquatics honorary secretary Andy Low on diver Pandelela Rinong over her failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics this summer is uncalled for.
"It's pure sarcasm and not very nice. I'm quite shocked (at what he said)," Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Hamzah said in his reaction to some of Low's comments surrounding Pandelela, who won the bronze in the 10m platform in the 2012 Olympics and silver in the 10m synchronised platform with Cheong Jun Hoong in the 2016 Games.
Winning the bronze made her the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympic medal, as well as the first in any sport other than badminton.
Low, without naming names, was also reported as saying "these individuals" are not professional and "when they fail, they give excuses, blaming others left and right".
"Pandelela has given more to the sport than Low did. She devoted herself to the sport since she was 7," he said, alluding to the Bau native's selection as a state diver at that age.
Karim said Pandelela's failure to qualify for Paris could be due to age.
He said Pandelela, who would be 31 next month, would be on the wrong side of 30 and could be past her prime as a top athlete.
"Athletes in any sport could not stay at the top forever."
Karim hinted that Low's scathing attack could be because he felt slighted when Pandelela said she would not quit the pool just yet and would continue representing the country until the national team's backup divers were up to scratch.
"He must have gotten the message," Karim said as he, too, would like to question Low on new upcoming talents.
"What have you (Low) done to groom up (the next generation of divers)? Where are the divers who are to take over Pandelela and her mates?"
Karim said Low should not be so critical of Pandelala's failure when he himself had failed in his duty to the association and the country to groom new world beaters.
"Compared to Pandelela, he's nothing."