PETALING JAYA: Khairy Jamaluddin says the previous government did not agree that there would be no bar on para swimmers of any nationality – including Israelis – from entering the country.
In a series of tweets on Monday (Jan 28), the Rembau MP said that "there was no such agreement not to ban Israeli para swimmers".
He shared The Star Online article quoting Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who said that he found it strange that there was an understanding between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the previous government that were no pre-conditions on athletes entering the country.
Khairy said that the "previous government also made decisions resulting in Israel not participating in the Youth World Sailing Championships and FIFA Congress."
He said the former government "allowed Majlis Paralimpik (Paralympic Council) and Sarawak to bid for the IPC World Swimming Championships".
However, Khairy said this was always be subject to Malaysia's foreign and immigration policies.
He also attached a screenshot of a 2015 article by The Times of Israel on a sailing event titled "Israeli windsurfers were denied visas to go to Malaysia".
Earlier, Syed Saddiq said when there is a bid for any sporting event, it would be made known that Israeli athletes would not be allowed into the country.
"This has been the government's stand for a long time, but I find it strange because in 2017, they (previous government) took a different stand," he added.
The IPC stripped Malaysia of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships on Sunday (Jan 27) after the country banned Israeli athletes from participating.
The championships, a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, was scheduled to be held in Kuching, Sarawak, between July 29 and Aug 4.
The IPC said a new venue would be sought for the same dates, although there might have to be some flexibility in the light of circumstances.
The IPC said all potential replacement hosts were asked to express an interest by Feb 11.
Khairy Jamaluddin Retweeted The Star
There was no such agreement not to ban Israeli para swimmers. Previous govt also made decisions resulting in Israel not participating in the Youth World Sailing Championships & FIFA Congress (which we ended up not hosting for similar reasons.
Khairy Jamaluddin added,
40 replies583 retweets574 likes
-Star
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