September 6, 2016
Asistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah wants to tackle sports politics heads on before it causes further damages to sports.
He claimed some sports associations had too much politics to the extent smothering the growth of sports which they were representing.'
“So this time round, we need to do a lot of 'spring cleaning' to make sure the associations are good and the centre(s) of excellence...(are) in the right place," he quoted by a local English daily.
The assistant minister was delivering his speech at the closing of the Sibu Open Track & Field Championship at Stadium Tun Zaidi in Sibu last Sunday.
He also said: "We also do not want to have athletes who are not supposed to be representing but were chosen over the better ones, whether it is in swimming, athletics or in any other sports.
This is why it is important for us to really focus in preparing ourselves in whatever tournament we are focusing if we want to cement our reputation as sport powerhouse.”
Abdul Karim also admitted that he was actually very disappointed that Sarawak failed to clinch the SUKMA overall title this year.
