Cheah escapes after apology

05/12/1998

THE BA of Malaysia (BAM) took into consideration Cheah Soon Kit's clean
track record and a letter of apology, dated Dec 4, when they decided not
to take any action against the shuttler for skipping training.
Cheah, who arrived minutes after the BAM Exco ended their meeting, had a
closed door discussion with BAM president Datuk Dr Abdullah Fadzil Che Wan
before the announcement.
"The matter has been resolved amicably. Actually it was just a family
quarrel which was blown out of propotion. With the letter of apology, the
BAM Exco let him off the hook without any action," said Fadzil.
Cheah, 30, a veteran of three Asian Games, was not selected for the
Bangkok assignment because his partner Choong Tan Fook suffered an eye
injury during training. The injury ruled him out for three weeks.
The pair of Pang Cheh Chang-Cheah Soon Thoe were selected instead.
Piqued by his exclusion, Cheah stopped attending training since Nov 19
when it was disclosed that he was out of the Games squad.
"The matter is now closed and all the parties have agreed to forget and
start afresh. This will be taken as a learning process in the BAM family,"
said Fadzil.
Cheah had apologised to the management committee and the panel of
coaches for skipping training.
"I regret not seeking a clarification on why the decision to exclude me
was made. On my own, I thought of the worse possible scenario which upset
me greatly," read his letter.
"I hope the BAM Exco accept my apology and I pledge to abide by my
contract with BAM in future. This also includes attending training when
requested."
Cheah declined to go into details and said in future if he is in doubt,
he will consult the panel of coaches.
"Although the BAM Exco let Cheah off the hook this time, this does not
mean that we condone such behaviour. Cheah, or any other player, will face
disciplinary action if they go missing without reason," said Fadzil.
National coach Morten Frost Hansen was relieved that the matter has been
resolved.
"We need to focus on the Asian Games which will be a tough assignment.
With the matter put to rest, the shuttlers can leave for Bangkok today on
a happy note."
When asked about Cheah's future with the national side, Frost said he
will play a crucial role in the Malaysian Open next year in July and the
ABC Championships which Malaysia will host on Sept 22-26.
"He will probably resume training with the team after the Asian Games
and we will work out a plan to make our presence felt at the Malaysian
Open and the ABC Championships," said Frost.
(END)