Hard target

20/08/1998

THE Commonwealth Games have become a hard target for Malaysia's women
shooters.
First, Nurul Huda Baharin broke her arm in two places earlier this month
and will have to wait until next Monday to know whether she can compete in
the Games.
Now it's Irina Maharani's turn to be hit by bad news. The Malaysianised
Russian will have to get clearance from the International Shooting
Federation (UIT) if she intends to represent Malaysia in the Games.
Shooting was one of the sports where Malaysia were expected to win gold
medals - through Nurul and Irina.
Irina, formerly of Russia and the 1994 air pistol world champion, has
been residing in Malaysia for three years but only received her
citizenship in May.
Although the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) ruling states that an
athlete who fulfils a three-year residential requirement can compete, UIT
ruling requires citizenship for at least three years.
UIT ruling takes precedence at the Games and should Irina win a medal,
there is nothing to stop the other competitors from lodging a protest.
"The National Sports Council (NSC) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia
(OCM) will be writing to the UIT to get clearance for her. If UIT say she
can't shoot, we will withdraw her," said Azizan Zainal, NSC's director of
athletes preparation, yesterday.
In short, this will mean Irina will not be representing Malaysia because
to allow her to compete, UIT will have to bend their rules and they are
not likely to set this precedent.
Irina, who coaches the air pistol and sport pistol shooters, fired 383
points to finish ninth among 105 shooters at the world championship in
Barcelona in July.
There were no protests lodged in Barcelona simply because she didn't wn
a medal
But the Commonwealth Games is something else for Irina is highly tipped
to win a gold in the air pistol and a medal in the sport pistol.
NSC director general Datuk Mazlan Ahmad is not overly worried.
"What can we do? When she took part in the Barcelona World Championship
nobody protested but for the Games the OCM have advised us to go through
the proper channels so that we don't end up as losers," he said.
Nurul broke her arm in a motorcycle accident on Aug 10 and is a doubtful
starter.
She won three golds at the Commonwealth championship in Langkawi, two
golds at the Jakarta Sea Games and finished 13th out of a field of 109 at
the World Championship in Barcelona.
(END)