KUALA LUMPUR: The national para-swimming team have welcomed a new Japanese coach, Fumiyo Minemura, as their previous coach remains under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct.
Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin thanked Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh for facilitating the arrival of the new coach.
"After filing a police report against the (previous) coach who allegedly sexually assaulted our athlete, I wrote to the National Sports Council (NSC) recommending that the coach be placed on gardening leave.
"This is crucial to ensure a safe environment for athletes and a fair investigation," staid Shahriman during a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between MPC and nine companies at the Paralympic Centre of Excellence in Kampung Pandan today.
"We have a new coach from Japan, Fumiyo Minemura. She will now prepare the para-swimmers for the
Paris Paralympics.
Shahriman refrained from commenting on the sexual misconduct allegations, citing ongoing investigations by the authorities.
"I do not want to comment as there is an ongoing police investigation.
"Let the authorities do their job. We hope for a swift outcome from the investigation," said Shahriman, who is also the president of the Malaysian Para-Swimming Association (Prepma).
He added: "Prempa was established in June last year to oversee para-swimming.
"Therefore, we are unaware of any previous complaints about the coach since the sport was under Malaysia Aquatics at that time.
"If we find there were previous complaints, we will investigate, as we do not want this issue to be swept under the rug."