Karim vows to defend Malaysian athletes

KUALA LUMPUR: "Do not live in fear, I will defend you."
That is newly elected Malaysian Athletics (MA) president Datuk Karim Ibrahim's message to national athletes.
The dramatic response from Karim came amid ongoing tension within the national set-up, and after several top athletes voiced their concerns about coaching structures and a lack of support.
Recently, national discus thrower Irfan Shamsuddin revealed he had received threats after making statements thanking several individuals following his bronze success at the Asian Championships.
Several national sprinters were also earlier reported to be reluctant to train under the MA programme due to poor planning and the departure of the respected Poad Kassim from the national coaching setup. However, the issue was sorted out with Poad's return.
Karim, who took office on June 15, said safeguarding athletes' welfare and addressing internal disputes were among his top priorities.
"To the athletes, I want to say this — do not live in fear. I will defend you," he said.
"I will not abandon the athletes because they are the lifeline of Malaysian sports.
"We will give international exposure to athletes who can win medals. We will not sideline anyone.
"I will meet with the athletes soon... and not just athletes, but coaches too.
"We do not want to leave behind any athletes who do not have a coach, like what happened recently to our hammer throwers."
Regarding the Thailand Sea Games in December, Karim said it was too early to announce medal targets, emphasising the need for proper evaluation and planning.

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