THE Youth and Sports Ministry has to be held accountable for scrapping 12 events in the upcoming Malaysia Games (Sukma 2022), Bukit Mertajam lawmaker Steven Sim said.

The former deputy youth and sports minister said its minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu should be fully responsible for the dire situation of sports in the country today.

“The state of the sports sector today confirms that the country’s sports crisis is now getting worse under the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional administration.

“The excuse often given of Covid-19 is not acceptable at all because it seems that only our country is affected by the global pandemic,” he said in a statement today

It was reported that 12 events were dropped because of poor participation from the states.

Sukma is to take place in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 16-24.

The condition to compete in Sukma is that at least six state contingents must participate in each event in order for it to be featured in the sports programme.

Diving was hit the worse with five events dropped from the women’s category – 1m springboard, 3m springboard, 10m platform, 3m springboard synchro and 10m platform synchro.

The others scrapped are two from canoeing, and one each from karate, athletics, boxing, weightlifting and judo.

Sim said he fully supported the Sarawak government’s action to change the decision by the Sukma Committee chaired by the Youth and Sports minister to return the diving events to Sukma.

“I am very disappointed with the government’s decision to scrap 12 sporting events including five diving events.  All five diving events are in the women’s category.

“The reason given was lack of participation from state contingents.”

He said it was very confusing as Malaysia once stood proudly with diving queens Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hong who won silver medals in the Olympics and other female diving athletes like Leong Mun Yee and Nur Dhabitah Sabri who won medals in world championships.

Sim said PN and BN must acknowledge the government’s failure in managing the country.

“I urge the Youth and Sports minister to approve the Sarawak state government’s application to return the diving events for Sukma 2022.

“The minister must also stop chasing power and position and pay serious attention to the development of youth and sports where the country is increasingly losing out under his leadership.” – July 14, 2022.