BRACE FOR BAD NEWS – MALAYSIA MAY BE REMOVED AS PARA SWIMMING HOST, SAYS IPC: FOR GOD’S SAKE DR M – ISRAELI OR NOT, THESE ARE PARA ATHLETES & DON’T DESERVE ANY DISCRIMINATION FROM POLITICIANS, BIGOTS, RACISTS OR ANYONE FOR THAT MATTER

LONDON – Malaysia’s hosting of the para swimming championships in Sarawak is on the line following a decision to bar Israeli athletes from entering the country.

“Malaysia will not host any event that has representation from or participation of Israel,” said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

Israel has called on the Inter­na­tional Paralympic Commit­tee (IPC) to change the venue if it could not persuade Malaysia to lift the edict before the July 29 to Aug 4 event.

The IPC said a decision would be issued today on Malaysia’s hosting of this year’s world para swimming championships.

Russia has been barred from Para­ly­mpic competition since August 2016 over allegations of state-sponsored doping that also led to the suspension of the country’s athletics federation and its anti-­doping agency.

– ANN