Barred Terengganu gymnasts rue years of toil and sweat

Aimy Idzlin Mohd Fauzi was interested in ballet but since there were no training centres where she lived, her parents enrolled her in a gymnastics club at the age of nine.

According to the teenager, since the “basics of ballet and gymnastics are similar”, she was drawn to the sport and began to excel in it to the point of representing Terengganu in Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) 2018.

"That was the first Sukma I participated in and perhaps the last as a gymnast,” the 18-year-old told Malaysiakini.

This is because the PAS-led state government has barred female gymnasts from representing the state in Sukma since 2019 on the grounds that their attire is not syariah-compliant.

Aimy (above, front row, second from left) is among the state’s female gymnasts who have been absorbed into the martial arts sport of wushu instead.

"Of course, I feel disappointed,” she replied when quizzed on the ruling.

“So are my parents. We (gymnasts) have been training since young. But we have to abide by the ruling, and I agreed to join the wushu team for the taolu category.

“In wushu, taolu is the closest to gymnastics because it involves the basics of gymnastics. It is more of a performance… So, I have to adopt gymnastic moves to taolu.

“I am prepared to continue and learn more about wushu. My friends and I are now waiting to be called up for training,” she added.

Taolu refers to the set routine (a component of wushu). It comprises a set of pre-determined techniques choreographed according to certain principles and philosophies to incorporate stylistic principles of attack and defence.

‘We trained hard, spent money, suffered injuries’

Similarly, Farhana Arissa Mohd Fajri, 18, also expressed sadness for having to leave gymnastics, which she started a decade ago.

Farhana Arissa Mohd Fajri (left) with her teammates

“We trained for so many years, spent money and suffered injuries. But we are unable to participate in Sukma.

“Under these circumstances, I opted to give wushu a shot.

“Although wushu has some of the basics and flexibility as gymnastics, it is a totally different sport and we must be prepared to learn many new things,” she told Malaysiakini.

Previously, Malaysiakini reported Terengganu Gymnastics Association president Abdul Razak Mat Amin as saying that he held three meetings with the state government in a bid to lift the ban and even proposed a change of attire for the gymnasts. - Mkini