Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim’s remarks at his inaugural press conference continue to draw flak, with Shahidan Kassim being the latest to see red.
Responding to the PKR lawmaker’s allegation that corruption in sports bodies is hampering athletes, Malaysian Athletics Federation (MEF) chairperson Shahidan Kassim demanded that he furnish evidence to substantiate the “baseless accusation”.
“Don’t try to be a champion by hurling statements that are baseless and lacking in facts. Please get the complete information about how sports bodies are managed by selected people.
“Please prove which sports bodies are involved in corruption. If not, we will take action against these baseless claims,” Shahidan (above, right) said in a statement this afternoon.
As the deputy youth and sports minister, Shahidan said, Adam (above, left) should be defending instead of discrediting sports bodies.
Pointing out that the PKR lawmaker is a “newcomer in the world of sports”, he cautioned the deputy minister against making “unhealthy and inappropriate” statements.
Shahidan, who is the former Perlis menteri besar, became the head of MEF in June this year after defeating the incumbent SM Muthu by four votes. Shahidan is also the president of the Malaysian Swimming Federation.
Yesterday, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Mohamad Norza Zakaria also urged Adam to back his allegation.
Similarly, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Hamidin Mohd Amin and Wushu Federation of Malaysia (WFM) president Chong Kim Fatt said it would be good if Adam had engaged with the stakeholders before jumping to conclusions.
On Monday, Adam said corruption within sports bodies must be curtailed for Malaysian athletes to realise their full potential.
“We have many world-class athletes. More than a few had also managed to bring glory to the country at international championships.
“But, if we were to dig further (into how sports bodies are run), most of the time there is an element of corruption, so we have to deal with this,” he said at his first press conference after reporting for duty.
However, he did not elaborate further on the element of corruption in sports bodies. - Mkini
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