KUCHING, Feb 15: Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah condemned Malaysia Aquatics (MAS) secretary-general Andy Low’s recent remarks about national diving athlete Datuk Pandalela Rinong Pamg.
Abdul Karim said there is no need for Low to aim barbs against athletes who have contributed medals to the country, especially in the Olympics.
“It is akin to praising them when they do good, and when they do not perform, they say that those athletes only go for the salary only.
“I find it (the comment) to be inappropriate,” he told reporters during a press conference held at his office in Baitulmakmur Building 2 on Feb 14.
Abdul Karim also questioned what has Lo and MAS done to groom the backup athletes to ensure continued participation in diving sports at the international level.
He said Pandelela has been a national diving athlete for 15 years and there is no back up athlete that has achieved her level.
“If you have been the secretary for one or two years you probably might not been able to do much, but if you have been there for that many years, and during that many years only Pandelela is representing Malaysia, that means you have failed,” he added.
On Feb 12, Pandelela in a Facebook post apologised to Malaysians for her failure to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite her best efforts at the Doha World Aquatics Championship.
She also thanked everyone for their support.
“Please forgive me that I couldn’t keep my promise this time around.
“No matter what, I’ll keep my chin up and bounce back stronger in future competition, for I’m not done yet and will continue trusting in God’s plan,” she said. — DayakDaily
