Women face uphill task in Jakarta

25/09/1997

THE Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM) were shocked when Indonesia
announced that women's sepaktakraw will see action at the Sea Games.
PSM had doubts about the capabilities of our women, the only teams
available were from Sarawak, Police and Perak. There were no grassroots
development of the sport and schools do not have women's teams.
Team manager Tunku Mohamed Sultan Abu Bakar remarked that: "It would not
be wise to send the women to Jakarta as they lacked the skills."
With the team and regu gold medals at stake, PSM had a change of heart
and went on a scouting spree netting five trainees.
They will take part in the regu event and are hard at training at the
Bank Pertanian Malaysia Training Centre in Bangi.
"We will not take part in the team event beause winning a medal is
virtually impossible, however, in the regu we have an outside chance,"
said national coach Haris Abdul Rahman.
The national women started serious training about a month ago while
Indonesia and Thailand have been training for almost a year, but that does
not worry Haris.
"The women, training under Ahmad Suin, have shown tremendous
improvement. I believe they are capable of winning a medal. The colour is
not important, what PSM aim to do is expose the players to an
international tournament and popularise the sport. Only then can we start
with the schools.
"Once there is interest in the sport among schoolgirls, it will be
easier for PSM to organise tournaments."
The women had their first major experience at the Indonesian
Independence Anniversary Championships recently where they returned
emptyhanded but gained valuble experience.
The Squad: Rashid, Saadiah Idrus, Masayu Dahalal, Noraini Mohamed, Siti
Zubaidah.
(END)

Cash prizes for winners and record breakers

27/09/1997

THE third and final leg of the MAAU-Milo-NSC National Junior Circuit at
the Merdeka Stadium today is expected to be a tame affair.
At the first leg at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras, the junior athletes
fared poorly and the second leg in Paroi, Seremban, was no better.
The finals were scheduled to highlight the best Asean junior athletes
but due to the haze and Sea Games being around the corner, most of the
countries declined invitations to the meet.
About 160 athletes are expected to take to the starting line in 24
events and M. Ganeshwaran, Malik Tobias and Radha Muniandy are some of the
athletes who are expected to shine, but not to the level of rewriting
records.
Points were awarded to athletes who won medals in the first two legs and
the athlete with the highest point total will be crowned overall champion
in the category and will receive RM500.
Winners of gold in the finals will receive RM300 while the second and
third placing will be worth RM200 and RM100.
Athletes who break national records in the circuit get RM1,000 while
those who rewrite records that are more than five years old will receive
RM5,000.
(END)

Param: Gold not beyond reach

28/09/1997

AT the last Sea Games in Chiangmai, the women's soccer team fought with
pride and determination to bring back a medal.
But this time in Jakarta, it will be the colour of the medal that they
are more concerned about.
"After winning the silver medal two years ago, it is only right that we
go for the gold and my players are fully prepared to do just that," said
coach M. Paramasivam.
When asked about the poor performances in a recent four-nation
invitational tournament, Paramasivam said: "That happened when we were at
a stage of assembling the team. Right now we have just finished selecting
the best players in the country."
Singapore have also handed Malaysia a golden chance of making the
semifinals when they failed to form a team and withdrew from the Games.
"With Singapore's withdrawal, we will only have to win one match to make
the semis. The players have to beat either Myanmar or Indonesia and the
gold medal will be in sight."
Malaysia open their campaign on Oct 9 against Myanmar.
Paramasivam is confident that his players will be up to the task despite
the poor performance in their recent tour of China and South Korea.
"We lost both matches even before stepping onto the field. The Koreans
and Chinese are physically superior."
(END)

Ganeshwaran stamps his mark

28/09/1997

EIGHTY metres of the race belonged to Tan Kok Lin of Perak but the lasting
power of Sea Games-bound R. Ganeshwaran from Pahang won him the century
dash in the final leg of the MAAU-Milo-NSC National Junior Circuit at the
Merdeka Stadium.
Yesterday, Tan shot out like a bullet from the starting blocks and
Hamberi Mahat of Selangor, who beat Watson Nyambek to the gold at the
recent Inter-Bank Athletics, matched Tan's pace and left Ganeshwaran in
the cold.
Ganeshwaran regained his pace after the 50-metre mark and clocked 10.82
for the gold. Tan came in second with 10.97 while Hamberi finished in a
disappointing 11.08.
Ganeshwaran, who also won the Cheras and Paroi legs of the Junior
Circuit, was named the Best Overall Male Athlete and received RM500. His
time of 10.4 at the Paroi leg was a meet record.
In the triple jump, Malik Tobias of Malacca leapt to a new distance of
15.13m to erase the his old mark of 15.09m.
Malik was named the Most Promising Athlete of the Kuala Lumpur leg and
received RM300.
The Best Overall Woman Athlete award went to pole vaulter Sharipatil
Asma of Kelantan who equalled the meet record yesterday.
Malaysia Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) president Datuk Khalid Yunus was
happy with the performance of the athletes although not many records were
rewritten in the three-leg circuit.
"The GP is an avenue for the juniors to prepare for the future, and
those who did exceptionally well in the three legs will be selected to
represent Malaysia at the Asian Athletics Championships to be held in
Bangkok on Nov 4-7."
Because of the haze and the Sea Games around the corner, the region's
best athlete declined invitation.
Roll of honour - Men's overall: 1 R. Ganeswaran (100m), 2 Malik Tobias
(triple jump), 3 K. Sangaralingam (400m hurdles); Women: 1 Sharipatil Asma
(pole vault), 2 Norseela Khalid (400m hurdles), 3 Mok Siew Wei (100m
hurdles).
Kuala Lumpur Leg - Malik Tobias (triple jump) and Moh Siew Wei (100m
hurdles). RESULTS
MEN - 100m: 1 R. Ganeswaran (Pah) 10.82, 2 Tan Kok Lian (Pk) 10.97, 3
Hamberi Mahat (Sel) 11.08; 400m: 1 Meor Shariman (Sel) 49.85, 2 Suresh
Morthy (Ked) 50.78, 3 Abdul Razak (Sel) 50.96; 1,500m: 1 A. Geevaraj (Sel)
4:11.10, 2 J. Vigneswaran (Sel) 4:12.86, 3 K. Gunaseelan (Sel) 4:13.47;
110m hurdles: 1 Kamarezami Kamaruddin (Ter) 15.50, 2 Cheah Kin Chong (Pk)
16.21, 3 Victor Low Kah Heng (KL) 16.29; 400m hurdles: R. Shankaralingam
(Sel) 55.60, 2 Mohamed Ridzuan (Ked) 56.13, 3 Khairul Hisham (Kel) 56.74.
3,000m steeplechase: A. Arul Thevar (Sel) 9:46.06, 2 K. Jayaganes (Pk)
10:15.24, 3 B. Moorthy (Sel) 10:20.57; 10,000m walks: 1 N. Vinayagam (KL)
45:53.56, 2 Mohamed Shahrulhaizy (KL) 46:37.09; Javelin: 1 Mohamed Norizat
(Sel) 53.08m, 2 Heng Mok Lai (Joh) 49.30, 3 Chan Eng Seng (Mal) 47.66;
High jump: 1 Goh Suan Nyok (Pg) 1.95m, 2 Koh Chan Seng (Sel) 1.95, 3 Yip
Meng Chee (Pg) 1.90; Pole vault: 1 Yap Lai Hin (Pk) 4.30m, 2 Armee Abu
Bakar (Sel) 3.10; Discus: 1 Nik Mazaid (Kel) 33.90m, 2 Mohamed Faizul
(Ked) 31.74, 3 Tee Teong Ching (Mal) 30.14; Shot putt: 1 Nik Mazaid Nik
Man (Kel) 12.82m, 2 Mohamed Faizul (Ked) 12.23, 3 Chou Kong How (Pah)
12.23; Triple jump: 1 Malik Tobias (Mal) 15.13m, 2 Khairul Anwar (Kel)
14.46, 3 Bonny Duni (Sab) 14.13; Long jump: 1 Wong Tong Fui (Joh) 7.39m, 2
Amnat Perat (Ked) 7.31, 3 Kamarezami Kamaruddin (Ter) 6.99; 4x100m: 1
Malaysia Junior A Team 43.64.
WOMEN - 100m: 1 Nik Norazura (Ter) 12.43, 2 Choi Ai Wei (Pah) 12.58, 3
Irene Hasliza (Sel) 12.89; 400m: 1 Carol Lucia Alfred (Pk) 59.12, 2
Masfuzah Abdullah (Kel) 61.39, 3 R. Premalatha (Sel) 62.61; 1,500m: 1
Mailin Salungin (Sel) 5:14.23, 2 Anggamah Maniam (Sel) 5:17.11, 3 Norlida
Ismail (Ter) 5:27.27; 5,000m walks: 1 Radha Muniandy (KL) 27:58.12, 2 D.
Lahsela (Sel) 28:16.00, 3 Kaliamah Maniam (KL) 29:49.05.
100m hurdles: 1 Moh Siew Wei (Pk) 14.72, 2 Noraseela Khalid (Sel) 15.29,
3 Dian Rafiee (Sel) 15.31; 400m hurdles: 1 Noraseela Khalid (Sel) 65.62, 2
Norizwani Zin (Kel) 73.21, 3 Low Hoon Ee (KL) 73.76; Pole vault: 1
Sharipatil Asma (Kel) 2.80m (equalled meet record); 2 Jas Maniah (Sel)
2.40, 3 Nik Suhaila (Kel) 2.20; Shot put: 1 Nancy Foo Michael (Sab) 9.98m,
2 Nurul Farahni (Sel) 9.64, 3 Siti Shahida (Pah) 9.50;High jump: 1 Zurina
Hashim (Joh) 1.55m, 2 M. Deepa Nambiar (Joh) 1.55, 3 Zuliqqa Latifah (Ked)
1.45; Long jump: 1 Fong Len Tze (Ter) 5.73m, 2 Wong Sook Ling (KL) 5.68, 3
Wan Noraini (Pah) 5.49.
(END)

IC poser for Geevaraj

30/09/1997

A. GEEVARAJ has broken the four-minute barrier in the 1,500m but he might
not be able to represent Malaysia in future because he does not hold a
Malaysian Identity Card.
The 18-year-old has been studying in the United States since Standard
One and returned to Malaysia last year to apply for an IC.
He made his mark as the best middle-distance junior athlete in the
country when he clocked 3:59.2 at the Perak Open last year.
At the recently-concluded MAAU-Milo-NSC National Junior Grand Prix,
Geeveraj clocked 4:11.10 to win the gold medal in the final leg at the
Merdeka Stadium last Saturday.
Maybank coach R. Jeganathan, who has been coaching him for a year now,
is excited about Geevaraj's future.
"The coach said that it is hard to come by a dedicated athlete like
Geevaraj, and it would be a shame if we don't recognise and pay special
attention to his training needs," said Bukit Jalil Sports School warden
Kadirisman Abdullah.
Geevaraj has taken part in schools meets in California and has won
numerous races in both the 800m and 1,500m and is now training with
national 1,500m record holder A. Munusamy.
"He is an exceptional athlete. When the coach is busy, Geevaraj trains
on his own. For him it is routine - come rain-or-shine he is busy
training," said Kadirisman.
When asked about his target as an athlete, Geevaraj said: "I want to win
an Olympics medal for Malaysia."
(END)

Aiming for three more golds

05/10/1997

MALAYSIAN shooters have competed in more than 10 Sea Games and their haul
has never exceeded two gold medals.
At the 1989 Games in Kuala Lumpur, the shooters failed to win a single
gold medal. And so, the five-gold target announced by the National
Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) for the Jakarta Games caught many
by surprise.
National shooting coach Mej Jasni Shaari said the target is realistic,
as it was based on the Southeast Asian Shooting Championships, in where
Malaysia won five gold medals.
But Russian rifle coach Iouri Ratnikov begs to differ: "Sure, we have
many good shooters in our team, but can they perform under pressure?"
The national team have undergone an elaborate training schedule and have
been performing well.
According to Ratnikov: "Some air pistol shooters have recorded 395
points, which is on par with Olympic standards, but that was during
training.
"What they need now is mental preparation. If they can stay calm during
the Games, the gold medals will follow suit."
Ratnikov prefers the shooters to take the Games as part of the
preparations for the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, and they must work
towards winning a medal in 1998.
"The Commonwealth Games will have world-class shooters and winning a
medal then will be every shooters dream."
At the Chiangmai Games, Kaw Fun Ying won the clay target trap gold while
the clay target skeet team returned with 332 points to beat the
Philippines and Singapore.
Mej Jasni, 38, is still seeking his gold medal since making his debut in
the Bangkok Games in 1985. At the Jakarta Games, Malaysian shooters will
compete in 13 out of the 21 events.
Meanwhile, the Langkawi Second Commonwealth Shooting (Lacos)
championships will be held at the International Shooting Range on Nov 17-
29.
The 15-event championships will offer 45 medals and further prepare the
shooters for the Commonwealth Games.
The Games will serve as selection platform for Lacos.
Squad - Men: Mej Jasni Shaari, Abdul Mutalib Razak, Azmi Zakaria, Sabiki
Din, Aziz Ebrahem, Hashim Desa, Ang Chee Choon, Hazli Awan, Che Wan
Zulqarnaen, David Hor, Marzuki Man, Goh Kek Chuan, Ricky Teh, Roland Lau,
Gary Goh, Leong Wei Heng, Hing Chai Hoe, Ong Chee Keng.
Women: Noriha Rani, Nurul Huda Baharin, Nordalilah Bakar, Sarihati
Awang, Roslina Bakar, Kamisah Jalal, Norsita Mahmud, Suriani Othman,
Bibiana Ng.
(END)

Get on with it, warn NSC

05/10/1997

SEA Games athletics manager P. Rengan who had opened his mouth on
Thursday, calling for the sacking of two coaches and two walkers, found
that he had put his foot into it.
Yesterday, National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Mazlan
Ahmad warned all aspiring Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth Games team
managers that the job entails more than just warming their seats.
"This is a sore point of Malaysian sport. Most managers are never around
when the coaches train athletes," said Mazlan at the National Sea Games
training camp in Bangi yesterday.
"But when a major event is around the corner, they simply jump on the
bandwagon."
Mazlan has reasons to be sore for the NSC have been given the
responsibility of preparing the athletes for the Commonwealth Games and he
wants to make sure that their training programme is not affected by
unnecessary problems.
"This must stop, and I intend to put a stop to it."
Fifteen sports, including athletics, will feature in the Commonwealth
Games scheduled for Sept 11-21 next year and the NSC will be conducting
interviews next month to appoint managers for these sports.
It will be a full time job for at least nine months before the Games,
and the NSC will be arranging for leave for the successful candidates.
Mazlan said he does not want managers who are in the dark about their
athletes and neither does he want the man to interfere with the coach's
job.
"The manager should also be able to work with the coach. A manager's
work is to manage, that is all," said Mazlan.
"They must not get involved with the daily training. Let the coach
decide on this, and if the coach decides that the athlete need not attend
centralised training for a valid reason, I am all for it."
Rengan had also sent a letter to the Malaysia Amateur Athletics Union
(MAAU) asking them to drop the coaches and walkers from the Sea Games
squad.
The coaches are V. Subramaniam (walks) and Mazlan Abdul Malik (sprints)
and the walkers are K. Mahadevan and Annastasia Karen Raj.
Subramaniam and his walkers have been training at the Merdeka Stadium in
Kuala Lumpur and have got MAAU's permission to stay away from the Bangi
camp which is 33 kilometres away.
Mazlan, an army officer, got permission to stay away because he is
sitting for some promotional exams in Kuala Lumpur.
"I don't see a problem here. The manager is the one who should be taken
to task because he does not know where they are training or what is their
progress," said Mazlan.
"I have no problems with theathletes who want to train on their own but
the coach must know what they are doing."
The national athletes, including Mahadevan, checked into the Universiti
Tenaga Nasional training centre in Bangi for final preparations yesterday.
Annastasia, Subramaniam and Mazlan have said they will check in as soon
as possible.
(END)

Bolder and better

06/10/1997

THE Malaysian athletes of today are bolder and know what they want - to be
world class performers.
This is according to Michel Gagne, the National Sports Council's (NSC)
mental trainer.
Gagne is in a position to know for he was in Malaysia from 1988 to 1992,
helping to prepare the contingents for the Sea Games, Asian Games and
Barcelona Olympics. He also handled the Thomas Cup squads.
The Canadian, who returned in January this year to prepare the athletes
for Jakarta and the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, is amazed with the
transformation of Malaysian athletes in such a short span.
"Back in 1988, I was with national karate exponent P. Arivalagan, and
although he had what it takes to be a world class exponent, he had very
low self esteem and no confidence in his abilities.
"That about summed up the situation of all the athletes then. The
present batch of athletes have shed that image and almost all that I have
handled want to become world class performers."
The Malaysian contingent to Jakarta will have four mental trainers, the
largest number to attend an international meet to date.
The four are Cagne, Zaiton Othman, Christine Sebastian and Rohana Bakar.
Gagne is particularly impressed with the willpower of Watson Nyambek,
the squash players and the keglers.
"There is no time to sharpen their skills or build their physique, so
right now we have entered the `smart phase'.
"The `smart phase' is placing the cherry on the cake."
Cagne said that the Games around the corner, the athletes are naturally
eager to perform. And this is dangerous because they might injure
themselves.
"The four of us are working around the clock to ensure that does not
happen," he said.
"We have also put some of the athletes through simulators at the
Universiti Tenaga Nasional training centre. We actually brought in
Indonesians and made the situation as real as possible to show them what
it would be like to perform under pressure in Jakarta."
After going through the "drama" the athletes were told how to handle the
pressure and distractions in Jakarta.
Gagne and his team have been working with the athletes to help them set
realistic goals but found the going tough because there are no statistics
to indicate the percentage of "newcomers to the Games".
(END)

Aussies and Kiwis book RM5m Games tickets

07/10/1997

AUSTRALIA and New Zealand have booked RM5 million worth of tickets for the
Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games on Sept 11-21, next year but the Games may
be robbed of several illustrious names if the haze persists.
Sukom Ninety Eight Berhad chief operating officer Lt Gen (rtd) Datuk
Seri Abdul Manap Ibrahim said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday several top
athletes including Australian marathon runner Steve Moneghetti had
threatened to stay away if the problem prevailed.
"I have been told many top athletes have indicated they would not take
part in the Games if the haze is still around next September," said Manap.
Moneghetti, who finished third in the World Championships in Athens
recently, was reported to have said he would not be competing in the Games
if the haze engulfing the country continues.
Joining the chorus from Melbourne was Australian Commonwealth Games
chief Ray Godkin, who expressed fears that long distance runners and
cyclists would not survive in such conditions.
Godkin, who was in KL for the Commonwealth Games Federation assembly
last month, was quoted by the Melbourne-based Herald Sun as saying: "You
couldn't run a marathon in this ... the runners would just fall over and
die. It's impossible, I would not put people's lives at stake."
Manap also said that if the condition is bad, Sukom might have to do
away with some of the outdoor sports.
"The pollution may not be entirely caused by Indonesian forest fires and
Malaysians must also help minimise it by curtailing unnecessary burning,"
said Manap.
Manap was speaking at a licensee signing ceremony with Inki-Plas at the
Putra World Trade Centre.
On the sale of tickets for the Games, Manap said that the tickets can be
ordered through telephone and mail but will only be on sale a few months
before the Games begin to combat counterfeit tickets.
(END)

Poor KL may pull out

09/10/1997

THE Kuala Lumpur FA (KLFA), burdened with financial woes, will approach
Kuala Lumpur City Hall today to bail them out.
KLFA president Datuk Seri Megat Junid Megat Ayub said yesterday that he
was unable to raise funds and his efforts have been hampered by the
economic problems facing the country.
"We need RM500,000 for our Malaysia Cup campaign. All the bonuses,
incentives and preparations make up a large amount," said Megat.
"We will send someone to approach KL City Hall.
"If we can't source for funds, I will propose KL withdraw from the
tournament."
Megat said the alternative is for him to borrow and leave it to his
successor to pay the debts.
"But that is not my style, that is why I did not approach the FA of
Malaysia (FAM) for emergency funds."
Megat, who is also the Chef-de-Mission to the Sea Games, was speaking
after receiving RM60,000 from Spritzer, Olympic Council of Malaysia's
official mineral water.
Megat said KLFA got a RM200,000 contribution from City Hall this year
and they managed to secure a RM1 million sponsorship from the Berjaya
Group. There is also the annual RM700,000 FAM subsidy.
"That is how KLFA got the RM2 million to survive the M-League. For the
Malaysia Cup we need another half-a-million. I don't have it. I don't know
how to proceed in light of the economic situation in the country."
He said the monthly expenditure of KLFA is RM170,000.
"I have a few friends who pay the salaries of the foreign players and
hire some locals on contract,"said Megat.
He named Malaysian Electric Company, Talam, Kazen, Renong and Innovest
as friends from the corporate world who saw KLFA during the difficult
times.
Megat said he cannot beg his friends any longer and feel that KL should
skip the Malaysia Cup.
KL, who failed to enter the Malaysia Cup the last four years, are in
Group A with Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Brunei and Kedah.
(END)

Asum: Forget the golds, just go for medals

10/10/1997

THE Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum), who had earlier set a
seven-gold target for the Jakarta Games, made an about turn yesterday and
will aim for medals instead.
"There is no need to place undue pressure on the swimmers, so Asum
decided that the best thing to do right now is to target for medals,
irrespective of the colour," said Asum vice-president Yeoh Lai Seng
yesterday.
Briton Martyn Wilby, who coaches Commonwealth Games trainees Anthony
Ang, Yip Ai Yoke, Alex Lim Keng Liat and Elvin Chia at the Bolles School
in Florida, echoed the vice-president's sentiments.
"Yes, I would say that the swimmers should be allowed to just splash
around the pool without pressure, only then can they do their best."
Synchronised swimming, making their debut at the Games, will have a
tough task ahead because they do not know the strength of their opponents
but the Asum vice-president is confident that they are capable of pulling
off several surprises.
"Synchronised and diving will return with medals if they don't crack
under pressure," said Yeoh.
Pressure or no pressure, the Commonwealth Games athletes taking part in
the Sea Games will have to better their Chiangmai performance or the
National Sports Council (NSC) will show them the exit.
NSC director general Datuk Mazlan Ahmad had said earlier that if the
athletes, who have been training for almost two years now, don't better
their times, there is no use in hanging on to them.
At the Jakarta Games, Lim will be taking part in the 100m and the 200m
backstroke, 200m butterfly and the relays while Elvin Chia will splash in
the 200m individual medley, 100m and the 200m breaststroke.
Anthony Ang, the 100m and 200m butterfly champion in Chiangmai, is
expected to repeat his feat while breaststroke specialist Tay Li Leng will
carry the women's flag at the Games.
Men: Anthony Ang, Elvin Chia, Lim Keng Liat, Wan Azlan Wan Abdullah,
Dieung Manggang, Allen Ong; Women: Tay Li Leng, Teo Mui Nyee, Sia Wai Yen,
Yip Ai Yoke, Ho Hsu Ee, Yip Ai Wei, Chew Lee San.
(END)

Put it in writing, say KL Council

10/10/1997

CASH-STRAPPED Kuala Lumpur FA who need RM500,000 for their Malaysia Cup
campaign will have to make a written request to Kuala Lumpur City Hall for
funds.
Kuala Lumpur FA president Datuk Megat Junit Megat Ayub had proposed on
Wednesday that they pull out of the competition which begins on Oct 25 if
they can't raise the funds.
He said that they would first approach City Hall for funds.
Kuala Lumpur (Federal Territory) Sports Council secretary Chua Tack Seng
yesterday said that the KLFA request must be put in writing.
"The council could not provide cash aid to KLFA because our other
affiliates also need funds for their activities," he said.
"However, we are willing to provide an allocation under our sports
development scheme as done before to assist KLFA," he said after attending
a meeting between the Council and City Hall.
Chua said the application should be submitted direct to City Hall
because the KLFA request was not budgeted for when the council sought City
Hall funds.
Chua said the meeting discussed routine matters and nothing was
deliberated on KLFA's financial problem.
Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur Tan Sri Kamaruzzaman Shariff, who was also
present at the meeting, refused to meet the media.
On Wednesday, KLFA president Datuk Seri Megat Junid Megat Ayob said
Kuala Lumpur might have to pull out from this season's Malaysia Cup as
they were short of RM500,000.
Megat, who said that KLFA spent RM2 million on their Premier League
campaign, said that corporate sponsors had provided support for the team
earlier in the season.
(END)

Perodua pledge 67 vans to Sukom

18/10/1997

PERODUA Sales joined the Sukom Ninety Eight family on Thursday with a
pledge to provide 67 Rusa vans for the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth
Games.
Perodua have delivered 10 vans to Sukom and will hand in another 10 at
the end of the year, the rest will be handed over next year.
"Perodua have managed to reduce the cost of running the Games with their
pledge of 67 vans which will be used to ferry athletes and goods," said
Sukom chief operating officer Lt Jen (R) Datuk Manap Ibrahim at the
Perodua plant in Sungai Choh, Serendah.
Perodua sales executive chairman Datuk Rahman Omar signed for Perodua
and the signing was witnessed by Sukom's director of human resources, Mej
Jen (R) Datuk Kadir Nordin.
"Right now Sukom's priority is to ensure that when the Games begin, the
traffic in Kuala Lumpur will be under control," said Manap.
"If the fans get stuck in the traffic jams for hours, many would think
twice of going to the venues and would rather stay at home and watch the
Games on television.
"We do not want this to happen."
(END)

Bigger task ahead, says Minister

21/10/1997

SPORTS Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who returned with the Malaysian
contingent yesterday, cautioned athletes not to get carried away with
their Sea Games success.
"Sure, this was the best outing outside Kuala Lumpur and I am very
proud. But we have a bigger task ahead ... the Commonwealth Games," said
Muhyiddin.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin singled out subjective sports as his main worry:
"From what I saw in Jakarta, karate-do, taekwondo and silat points are all
open to interpretation.
And what the Malaysians saw as points, the judges saw otherwise. So we
must think of a way to overcome that."
Muhyiddin said the respective associations must liaise with their
respective parent bodies and find out if there have been changes in the
scoring systems.
"If not, we are going to lose out in the Commonwealth Games."
The other sore point that the Minister noted down from his observations
in Jakarta is mental strength. He is worried that Malaysians still have
the inferiority complex in them.
"We are going to host some of the best athletes in the world when the
'98 Games begin, and the medals won at the Sea Games are not going to help
us if we continue with this negative attitude."
On incentives for those who won silver and bronze, Muhyiddin said: "Yes,
I noticed that some of the athletes did better than their personal bests
or rewrote the Sea Games mark, but ended with a silver medal. Maybe at the
next Games we will decide on incentives for this category of athletes."
The best example is Shalin Zulkifli, who cracked the world record in the
Masters final but ended up with a silver after fumbling in the step-ladder
roll-offs.
(END)

NSC project bearing fruit

21/10/1997

THE National Sports Council's (NSC) Bakat Khas Olahraga programme
introduced to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Secondary School in Kajang four
years ago appears to be bearing fruit.
The programme was mooted to expose potential athletes to modern training
techniques and three former students recently did the school proud by
competing for the country in the just-ended Jakarta Sea Games.
"Pole vaulters Tajuddin Abdullah and Teh Wang Chang, as well as long and
triple jumper Chai Song Yip did not fare well at the Games but, at only
18, they have age on their side. They may realise their potential in
future," said SAAS Student Affairs vice-principal Fatimah Yusoff.
Under the programme, the NSC have equipped SAAS with a state-of-the-art
gymnasium, two multi-purpose tennis courts and a 130m synthetatic track
for the use of the students.
"The facilities were initially constructed for the benefit of NSC
athletes, but other SAAS students are making full use of the facilities,"
said Fatimah.
The reason being NSC athletes usually train at the Mayban or the
Petronas Sports Complexes in the evenings, leaving the facilities at SAAS
for the benefit of other students.
SAAS was chosen by NSC for the programme because they have a residential
college which can house up to 200 students. Located in the outskirts of
Kuala Lumpur, the school is surrounded by numerous training facilities
like the sport complexes in Bangi and Bandar Tun Razak.
NSC students numbering about 50 in the SAAS, are allowed to compete on
the school's sports day but if they rewrite any records, it would not
recognised as it would be unfair to the other students, according to
Fatimah.
"The students are also not allowed to compete at District level but when
their respective States need their services for the Malaysia Games or the
Malaysian Schools Sports Council meets, they return to them."
Even before 1994, there was a steady improvement in school athletics at
SAAS: "We have always been good at sports, most of the District records
are held by SAAS students."
1997 NSC Sponsored Students - Boys': Koh Chan Seng (high and long jump),
Hafeez Hazreek (4x100m, 100m, 200m), Mohamed Izuan (100m, 4x100m), R.
Sundralingam (1,500m, 800m), Malik Tobias (triple jump), Mohamed Nazmizan
(4x100m, 200m, 100m), Yeap Lai Hin (pole vault), S. Mathew (400m, 800m),
Mohamed Faizul (shot putt), Mohamed Ridwan (high jump, pole vault),
Zulkifli Remli (decathlon, haptathlon, 110m hurdles), Norizham Nordin
(javelin), Noridham Nordin (110m hurdles), Mohamed Kamal (100m), Pok Chee
Sing (long jump, triple jump), Khairul Amri (high jump), Armee Abu Bakar
(high jump), Chia Yuen Shing (triple jump, 4x100m, 110m hurdles).
Girls': Dian Raffiee (100m hurdles, 100m), Musfuzah Abdullah (4x100m,
400m, 200m), Nik Nor Azura (100m, 200m), Norlida Ismail (1,500m, 3,000m),
Lue Siau Beng (shot putt), Rosmariza Mohamed (high jump), Irene Hasliza
(100m, 200m, 400m), Nik Suhaila Mahmood (pole vault, 4x100m).
Norhaya Akmal (triple jump), Siti Mariam Tobias (javelin, shot putt),
Zurina Hashim (high jump), Eik Nyuk Mui (high jump), Jamrah Othman (100m),
Jasmaniah Osman (pole vault, 400m), Nurbasma Khalid (pole vault, 200m).
(END)

Training review will see some athletes dropped

24/10/1997

THE Commonwealth Games athletics training camp is now closed.
However, the closure is only a temporary measure as the National Sports
Council (NSC) review their training plans for the '98 Games.
"I have been told that there will be changes after the Malaysian Amateur
Athletic Union (MAAU) meet NSC tomorrow. Some of the athletes who
performed below par will be dropped from the training camp," said MAAU
president Datuk Khalid Yunus in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Khalid was speaking at the function where MAAU paid RM32,000 under their
incentive scheme to their athletes who won gold medals and had set Sea
Games and national records in Jakarta.
Before the Jakarta Sea Games, NSC director-general Datuk Mazlan Ahmad
said that there is no reason for athletes not to perform at the Sea Games
because most of them had been training for almost two years now.
Sprinter Watson Nyambek was one of those who failed to perform and ended
up with a bronze medal in the 100m.
"Those who don't make the camp are assured that the MAAU will take care
of them. They can still run in the local meets and a few selected overseas
assignments and if they perform well, who knows, they may even make the
Games squad again," said Khalid.
"Those selected will receive the best attention available. NSC have
lined up impressive methods for them which we will know for sure on
Saturday."
The meeting will also discuss MAAU's plans for the 21st century.
"We will finalise the plans to prepare athletes with a special emphasis
on the Commonwealth Games and also development of a steady pool of
reserves as a back-up for the ageing stars," he said.
"Some quarters were sceptical of our success at the Sea Games because no
new talent emerged. Most of the medal winners were veterans. Plans to
rectify this situation will be discussed."
On the Commonwealth Games, Khalid said: "We know the standard of our
athletes, so we should not fool ourselves with ambitious targets. Our
athletes are good at Sea Games level but Asian and Commonwealth Games
golds are hard to come by. Maybe with proper planning and development,
Malaysia can produce athletes who will do us proud."
MAAU have also made arrangements with a local college to provide free
education for eligible athletes so that when they retire, they will have
an education to fall back on."
Meanwhile, MAAU turned 91 this year and low-key celebrations which had
began in July with the Junior Grand Prix on July 26 ended with the MAAU
Open in Kluang, Johor last month.
"We launched the MAAU magazine "Kepuncak" (to the top) in conjunction
with the Diamond Jubilee and the second edition will be in the newsstands
soon.
(END)

Gross injustice to expect medals

02/11/1997

ON the average, Malaysian boxers throw their first punch when they are 18-
years-old, so to push them into the ring and expect them to bring home a
gold medal against those who started training seriously since the age of
12 is gross injustice.
The boxing powers at Commonwealth level are Ireland, Kenya, Ghana, South
Africa, Wales and Scotland. To beat these nations for a medal at the Kuala
Lumpur Commonwealth Games will be difficult.
"There is no planning at the base to produce boxers who can do the
country proud. The ones that we have right now have youth on their side
but they only started competing about two years ago," said Commonwealth
Games project manager for boxing Lt Col (Rtd) Jamaluddin Samir.
Malaysian boxers face about 18 bouts a year compared with the Cubans who
take to the ring 200 times a year.
The final phase of preparations for the '98 Games will begin in January
and right now the Malaysian Boxing Association (MBA) and the National
Sports Council (NSC) are in the midst of shortlisting them.
NSC will have a tough time deciding on the final list prepared by the
local coaches and foreign coaches Adun Pasu of Thailand and Bachelo
Nivaldo Cacheco of Cuba.
Commonwealth Games trainees: Sapok Biki (45kg), Eddie Suip (51kg),
Balkish Ahlal (54kg), Jaiwat Nayamun (54kg), Jefridin Yatim (54kg), Benny
Thomas (57kg), B. Muruguthevan (60kg), Jeffry Simpson (63.5kg), Celestin
Angin (51kg), Andrew Kanis (60kg), Azani Azam (57kg), Samsudin Maidin
(71kg), Arduena Yusuh (54kg), Roning Tama-Nga (51kg), Mohamed Isnizar
(67kg), Rajah Maideen (81kg), Rosli Bakar (75kg).
(END)

A lashing from NSC

09/11/1997

THE National Sports Council (NSC) yesterday took Malaysian Sepak Takraw
Association (PSM) to task for their lackadaisical attitude towards
grassroots development.
NSC liason officer Ahmad Shapawi, speaking at the PSM annual general
meeting in Kuala Lumpur, said:
"Initially, when we set the target for the Jakarta Sea Games, they were
listed as capable of winning two gold medals. A week before the Games, we
had to revise the list when we found out that there was no hope."
Malaysia returned with two silvers from Jakarta.
Ahmad listed down four steps to revive sepaktakraw in Malaysia and PSM
president Datuk Saidin Tamby, speaking like a true politician, said that
they will look into Ahmad's proposals.
"Firstly, PSM must start training coaches at State level to produce a
capable pool for the Asian Games in 2006," said Ahmad.
At present there is no clear indication of who is the national coach as
PSM rotate coaches according to tournaments. This, Ahmad said, is the main
reason for the downslide.
The second problem is preparation. "Right now when there is a national
call-up, the States send in names of players who are not properly
trained."
The players had less than two months training for the Sea Games.
Ahmad is also worried with what he called "a vacuum between school and
the Grand Prix."
When the players turn 18 and leave school, they do not have proper
tournaments to keep them busy pied and many leave the sport.
"The solution could be to organise a junior circuit, for players between
the ages of 19 and 21 so that they can continue training and playing."
The fourth solution comes with a warning.
"We have placed sepaktakraw under our development programme and have
been pumping in money to support the programme.
"If PSM do not utilise these benefits, there is no use in NSC spending
money for development. We might as well pull out."
OFFICE BEARERS - President: Datuk Saidin Tamby; Deputy president: Datuk
Tengku Mohammad; Vice-presidents: Ramli Harun, Zainal Zain.
(END)

SMS are pride of Selangor

13/11/1997

SELANGOR Science Secondary (SMS) had 17 players in the Kuala Lumpur team
which won the National Schools title in Kelantan this year.
A Selangor school playing for Kuala Lumpur? That is exactly what
happened when Federal Territory became Kuala Lumpur and expanded its
borders.
With the victory, SMS are undoubtedly the top rugby school in Malaysia
and they owe it to a solid development programme.
"We started 24 years ago when the school was established," said SMS Old
Boy and chief coach Raja Idris Raja Ali.
While rugby in Perak, once a powerhouse, died of natural death due to
poor planning, SMS rose from the ranks and have won numerous district
tournaments, including the Under-18 10s Invitational early this year.
"We have three full-time coaches for rugby. I coach the Under-18 side
and two other teachers, who are undergoing a Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU)
coaching clinic in Universiti Putra Malaysia, handle the Under-15 team."
The divide-and-coach system has paid off because the 1995 Under-15 side
which won the MRU-Milo-MSSC International 10s graduated to a strong Under-
18 team which hammered Johor 47-6 in the final.
"Training is a daily affair. The students take to the field at 3pm and
work on building their stamina and when there is a tournament we
concentrate on skills and strategy," added Raja Idris.
It is much easier for the students to attend training because most of
them stay in the hostel."
"In May we received an invitation from the Vajiravudh College in
Thailand to play at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) grounds.
Although it was an Under-21 side, we took up the offer and received a few
hard knocks but returned wiser," said Raja Idris.
Malay College have an annual match against the Thais but this year they
decided to take on SMS due to their growing popularity. SMS also took part
in the Singapore Blacks 10s for exposure.
"We have plans to take part in more tournaments next year, it all
depends on our budget."
While the Under-18 and Under-15 sides are busy with the schools
calendar, their Under-16 side are playing in the Selangor League in
Division Three, the only school team in the country to do so, and are
sitting pretty at the top of the table.
SMS representatives in the National Schools championship: Nor Hazmin
Chamli (Capt), Mohamed Ali, Razif Ramli, Safian Muda, Zamri Omar, Zawai
Mamat, Azhir Ekmal, Zulkeflee Yusof, Shahruddin Ahmad, Kamarul Azlan,
Rumaizi Salim, Nasaruddin Kipain, Mohamed Raipi, Shahriman Samdin, Ahmad
Fadzli, Azhar Zainudin, Abdul Hadi Ismail.
(END)

Junior cagers get tall order

19/11/1997

THE Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) have issued a "tall" order to
the 23 teams who will feature in their Under-16 Youth Championships on Dec
3-13 at the new Paroi hall in Seremban.
There are 12 teams in the boys competition and one penalty point will be
deducted from teams that fail to produce an average height of 180cm. It is
166cm for the girls team.
And for a team failing to include a tall talent player in the team, the
team will have a quarter point deducted from their total points scored.
These deductions are only for the preliminary round.
"We have decided to try out the new rules in line with our Tall Talent
programme," said Maba secretary-general Yeoh Choo Hock in Kuala Lumpur
yesterday.
"There might be some problems initially, but if we don't make an attempt
we would never know. This a bold step to make sure that there is a steady
pool of tall and able reserves for the national team."
Maba's Tall Talent programme which was launched in December 1995 is a
all-year round effort to get tall youngsters to play basketball. Those
selected to this programme are trained daily at Maba House in Kuala Lumpur
under Maba expense.
All State BAs were actively encouraged to find talent under this
programme.
The programme has produced players like Ng Joo Lay, 19, who captained
the national team to the Asian Basketball Confederation Youth
Championships in Johor Baru last year and Masri Redza Iskandar, 18, a
national trainee.
Maba will organise a clinic for coaches and officials one day before the
championships to familiarise them with the introduction of the new rules.
Some of the States have experimented with this rule and Yeoh said that
most know what is required. "But the clinic will make sure that there is
minimum confusion on tournament day," said Yeoh.
Last year, the youth championships were held in Kuching and Kedah
finished tops in the boys' division while Johor were the runners-up. In
the girls' competition, Selangor won the title when they beat Kuala Lumpur
in the final.
Yesterday, Milo handed over RM100,000 in cash and RM20,000 in kind to
help organise the championships for the sixth year.
Boys Group A: Kedah, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Perlis; Group B: Johor,
Pahang, Sabah, Penang; Group C: Sarawak, Selangor, Malacca, Negri
Sembilan.
Girls Group A: Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan; Group B: Kuala Lumpur,
Pahang, Perak, Sabah; Group C: Sarawak, Johor, Penang, Kedah.
(END)

Tigers tipped to wrest title from Eagles

20/11/1997

JOHOR Tigers are strongly tipped to wrest the title from defending
champions Perak Red Eagles in the Malaysian Basketball League grand final
at Stadium Negara tomorrow.
The final is expected to be an explosive affair as the champions will
not only pocket the RM100,000 top prize but also have a crack at another
RM10,000 payout if they beat an MBL All-Star selection on Sunday.
Tomorrow's runners-up will get RM50,000 while RM5,000 will be awarded to
the losing side on Sunday.
As a curtain-raiser to the Tigers-Red Eagles clash, Selangor Dragons and
Sarawak Hornbills will meet in the third place playoff.
Announcing this at a Press conference yesterday, Malaysia Basketball
Association secretary-general Yeoh Choo Hock said the weekend's action
will also act as the base for selecting national players for centralised
training next year.
He warned that players who refuse national call-ups will be barred from
playing in the MBL.
Yeoh added that Maba would be selecting a team manager, a foreign and a
local coach to manage the MBL All-Stars.
"The All-Stars will have two foreign players - one from the runners-up
and the other from the other two teams."
The quota for local players is three from the runners-up; three from the
third-placed team; and two from the fourth-placed team.
Fans can purchase their tickets at RM20, RM10 and RM5 at the Maba office
or Stadium Negara on match days.
The excitement off court is expected to be just as rewarding as a Proton
Wira awaits five lucky fans who will be called to test their skills -
scoring from centre court.
TOMORROW - Third place playoff: Selangor Dragons v Sarawak Hornbills
(7.0); Grand final: Johor Tigers v Perak Red Eagles (9.0m) - both at
Stadium Negara.
SUNDAY: MBL Champions v MBL All-Stars (8.0, Stadium Negara).
(END)

Baldwin confident Eagles will win

21/11/1997

PERAK Red Eagles coach, Tab Baldwin knows it will be uphill all the way
against the Johor Tigers in the Malaysian Basketball League (MBL) Finals
today, but he is confident of a win.
"Nobody gave the Eagles a ghost of a chance when the League started
because we lost three influential players," said Baldwin.
Wong Tai Ong left for the Selangor Dragons while Chai Swee Lee and Yap
Yue Nam ventured into business and lost interest in the sport.
"This just goes to show that basketball is a team sport and there is no
place for individual stars," said the coach who has won two MBL titles
with the Eagles.
The Eagles beat Dragons on both ocassions and today, the Tigers stand in
their way to the RM100,000 purse.
On the other side of the court, Johor coach Bryan Lester is not willing
to throw in the towel yet: "If the players maintain their form, I know
that the Tigers can steal the MBL title from the Eagles."
But the coach is especially vary of Perak's K. Satyaseelan ability to
score points.
"He is one of the most improved players in the League, I am sure he will
be an asset to Malaysia in future," said Bryan.
The foreign coaches in the MBL only get one week before the League to
assemble a team and break in the imports: "I know I speak for all the
foreign coaches when I say that the the development of basketball in
Malaysia is the work of the local coaches, we just top the icing" said
Baldwin.
Malaysia Basketball Association (Maba) secretary-general Yeoh Choo Hock
is not in the least bothered about who wins the MBL final. He is more than
happy to note that the League has started to bear results.
"When we started MBL, the purpose was to make sure that Malaysia have a
steady pool to represent the nation and we have achieved that," said Yeoh.
Meanwhile, Maba will organise a walk-in clinic for Under-18 cagers
tomorrow at 10am. The foreign coaches in the MBL will be on court to
assist the cagers.
(END)

Tigers outclass Red Eagles for title

22/11/1997

Johor Tigers ................. 86 Selangor Dragons .......... 91
Perak Red Eagles ............. 81 Sarawak Hornbills ......... 83
JOHOR Tigers started the final of the Malaysian Basketball League (MBL) at
the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur yesterday with a three-pointer from Oh
Poh Aik and never looked back.
In the first 10 minutes, Ng Chung Giat and Oh never missed a three-
pointer to give the Tigers 23-11 lead. Perak Red Eagles found the going
tough and also attempted to score from outside the perimeter but they
failed miserably.
With six minutes of the first half remaining on the clock, the Eagles
got their act together with K. Satyaseelan doing much of the damage.
However, the Tigers import George Butler got into the act with a well-
placed shoot in the dying minutes of the first half for a comfortable 43-
36 lead.
After the breather, Oh continued sinking three-pointers but the shortest
Eagle on court Choo Kah Loon replied with fine runs down the left to draw
level at 53-53.
With 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the Malaysian players from both
sides started overshadowing the imports with Teo Wei Shen of the Tigers
getting his name on the scorers list more frequently to pull the Tigers
away at 66-60.
The Eagles import Kenny Stone, who remained in the background thus far,
woke up from his slumber and sunk two baskets to inch closer.
But there was no stopping for the Tigers as they marched to a 86-81
victory over the two-time champions 86-81.
The Tigers walked away with RM100,000 for the win.
In the fight for third placing, Selangor Dragons, led by Americans Chris
Sneed and Ron Nunnely, beat Sarawak Hornbills to pocket RM20,000 while
Sarawak received RM10,000.
At half time, the score was 45-39 in favour of the Dragons.
The Hornbills fought back after the interval and the score stood at 78-
78 in the regulation time. The match went into extra time with both teams
digging deep into their reserves and fought point for point but Sarawak
players lost their willpower in the final minute and Selangor walked away
91-83.
(END)

Tigers face tough job

23/11/1997

JOHOR Tigers who easily denied Perak Red Eagles their hat-trick of
Malaysian Basketball League (MBL) titles on Friday, will not have it easy
when they meet the MBL All-Stars at the Stadium Negara today (8.0pm).
"The Eagles are a good side, they can match their opponents point-for-
point but in the later stages of the game their defence denies them," said
Selangor Dragons coach Don Shipway.
Shipway should know for this is his third season with the MBL.
Shipway is of the opinion that although the Malaysians know how to
score, they don't know the basics of the game like when to make a pass,
when to hold on and when to defend.
"I was told that the local coaches have drilled these basics from time
and again, but when the players take to court, they forget everything."
In the MBL final on Friday, Perak Red Eagles were never out of sight of
the Tigers, they matched them in every aspect. In the dying minutes of the
game, the Tigers defended well but the Eagles left a gaping hole at the
back.
"A team can score 100 points in a match, but if they can't defend, they
will never make it big."
The other weak point, according to Shipway, is the height of the
players.
"If Malaysia want to make it big in the international scene, they must
have a few giants in their side."
The most improved players in the MBL are 19-year-olds K. Satyaseelan and
Fadlisyam Ismail. Last year, Satyaseelan was not even among the first
five.
"The foreign players and coaches are only here to lend a helping hand
and make the League more interesting. The local players must not rely on
them heavily and I am happy to note that this is not happening in the
MBL."
Oh Poh Aik of the Johor Tigers was a shining example in the final. He
scored five three-pointers and was the driving force behind Tigers'
success.
Tonight, Johor will undoubtedly be under tremendous pressure because
they will be facing a selection of the best from the other three teams in
the MBL, a true test for any team. The winners will get RM10,000 and the
runners-up RM5,000.
Most Promising MBL Players: Ng Joo Lay (Johor Tigers), K. Satyaseelan
(Perak Red Eagles) and Fadlisyam Ismail (Selangor Dragons).
TODAY: MBL All-Stars v Johor Tigers, Stadium Negara (8.0).
MBL All-Stars: Pero Cameron (Pk), Ron Nunnely (Sel), Yong Yoon Phin
(Pk), K. Satyaseelan (Pk), Toh Chin Thiam (Pk), Wong Tai Ong (Sel),
Fadlisyam Ismail (Sel), Loo Tee Wah (Sel), Ong Seng Huat (Sar), Chai Tze
Kiong (Sar). Team manager: Wong Siong Keng. Coaches: Tab Baldwin, Goh
Cheng Huat.
Johor Tigers: Ricky Cannon, George Butler, Teh Choon Yean, Oh Poh Aik,
Helbert Legada, Ng Joo Lay, Ng Chung Giat, Teo Wei Shen, Ng Soon Siong,
Chew Teck Chai. Coach: Brian Lester.
(END)

Tigers go home RM10,000 richer

24/11/1997

JOHOR TIGERS .... 104 MBL ALL-STARS .... 98
JOHOR Tigers went home RM10,000 richer after beating MBL All-Stars in an
exhibition match at the Stadium Negara yesterday.
Johor's Oh Poh Aik played a pivotal role with help from teammates Ng
Chung Giat and import Ricky Cannon to pin the All-Stars in their own half
and steal baskets.
Nine minutes into the game, Johor Tigers pulled away to 31-16 lead with
Oh and Cannon combining like a well-oiled machine.
The 300-odd crowd which turned out to watch what was expected to be a
highly-entertaining match were the losers of the night.
With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Teo Wei Shen and Ng Joo
Lay opened up the gap for the champs to 40-25 lead. All-Stars' K.
Satyaseelan and Fadlisham Ismail , who were voted as the most promising
players of the MBL, were a pale shadow and kept losing easy balls which
the Tigers used to stretch their lead.
In the second half, the Tigers kept their comfortable lead with three-
pointers from Cannon and George Butler.
Five minutes into the second half, Johor were 77-59, a lead they kept
without much challenge from the All-Stars to become MBL double champions.
The MBL All-Stars received RM5,000.
(END)

Maba Tall Talent search appear to bear fruit

25/11/1997

THE search for towering talent, ordered by the Malaysian Basketball
Association (Maba) president Datuk Loke Yuen Yow in 1995, is only the tip
of the iceberg in Maba's development plans.
Loke subscribes to the belief that the taller the team, the better the
chances of winning.
After Malaysia came short in the 13th Asian Junior Championships in
Manila and the Angsapura International in Medan in 1995, Loke concluded
that the Malaysians, while holding their own in skills and team tactics,
lost ground when it came to height.
"That is why the president came up with the Tall Talent programme to add
the extra inches to the national team," said Maba chairman of the coaches
committee Wee Cheong Phor.
The programme kicked off with Maba requesting their affiliates to comb
every corner of their respective states to come up with `skyscrapers', and
even those who have not played basketball before were listed as
candidates.
"Once the states and districts come up with a list, with the height
criterium being 195cm for boys and 183cm for girls born in 1975 and
fluctuates with the year of birth, the affiliates will nurture these
potentials by providing systematic training under qualified coaches," said
Wee.
As a result of the biennial search, a total of 106 districts have
selected a large number of `giants' for Malaysia and for every talent
discovered, a bonus of RM100 is given - up to a maximum of RM300 - and
should the talent make the national junior or senior squad, the said
official would be further rewarded.
"This is when Maba steps in, we select the cream of the crop and house
them at selected special training centres like the Maba hostel in Kuala
Lumpur where they undergo trials."
Those who don't make the cut are sent home, because Maba only want the
best while those who make it to the Malaysian Basketball League (MBL) are
strong candidates for the national team.
"Right now, players like K. Satyaseelan and Fadlisham Ismail are some of
Tall Talent graduates that have made it into the senior squad and we have
a large pool on standby," said Wee.
At the Maba house, the cagers undergo a spartan life where they start
with exercises before attending school. After school, the cagers head for
the courts and this is a daily affair.
"The process is long and lengthy but one day we hope to discover someone
like `Mr Ri', a seven-foot-nine marvel from North Korea who has attracted
the attention of NBA scouts.
(END)

Ali keeps lead with 73

30/11/1997

ALI Kadir shot a one-over 73 to retain his lead in the RM150,000 PGA
Closed Championships after the third round at the Saujana Golf and Coutry
Club yesterday.
Ali, one of the top pros in Malaysia, had a total of 217 and holds a
one-stroke lead over Rashid Ismail, who returned a par 72, the lowest
score of the day.
Ali started on a high and by the fifth hole, he was two-under, having
birdied the fourth and fifth. He parred the next three holes before
dropping a stroke on the ninth.
Rashid played a steady round and secured birdies on the third and 16th
holes but dropped strokes on the sixth and 14th.
Saifubari Muda returned a 74 and sits comfortably in third spot. He had
an even-par front nine, dropping a stroke on the sixth and picking a
birdie on the ninth.
He, however, bogeyed the 10th and 17th.
P. Gunasegaran, Nazamuddin Yusuf and Jamaluddin Bador are in joint
fourth with a three-day total of 221.
LEADING 3rd rd scores - 217 Ali Kadir 74-70-73; 218 Rashid Ismail 73-73-
72; 219 Shaifubari Muda 75-70-74; 221 Jamaluddin Bador 74-73-74, P.
Gunasegaran 72-75-74, Nazamuddin Yusuf 73-73-75.
223 Wong Hung Nung 74-76-73; 225 A. Anthonysamy 79-68-78; 226 Mohamed
Din 74-76-76; 227 M. Ramayah 77-76-74, Ahmad Jamil 75-75-77; 229 Malkit
Singh 79-77-73, Danny Chia 74-78-77, Zamri Shariff (Am) 76-73-80.
230 Mohamed Tahir 75-80-75, S. Murthy 78-75-77; 231 Rosdi Ramli 77-79-
75; Baldev Singh 80-75-76; 232 Suresh Kumar 71-83-78; 233 Mohamed Rusli
78-76-79, Abang Khalifah (Am) 77-74-78; 234 Rosni Wan Chik 79-78-77, Abdul
Rahim 80-74-80.
235 Shahizul Ahmad 80-77-78, Lawrence Lau 78-77-80, V. Gunalan 74-81-80,
Tan Boon Seng 75-87-82; 236 Samsuddin Ramli 79-78-79, Johnny Wong 74-83-
79, C.M. Chong 79-76-81; 237 Sulaiman Ibrahim 79-79-79, Roslan Idris 80-
77-80, Idris Majid 77-80-80, A. Ramachandran 79-77-81, Nor Azhar 79-74-84.
238 Tamilchelvam 79-78-81, James Woon 75-79-84; 239 Ahmad Hambali 82-74-
83; 240 Khamis Jalil 79-79-82, Arumugasamy 80-76-80, Jason Yong (Am) 76-
80-74, Ruddin Wan Chik 78-76-86.
(END)

Ali bags RM22,000 top prize

01/12/1997

ALI Kadir had a splendid day when he shot an eagle on the par-four first
hole en route to winning the RM150,000 Mercedes Benz MPGA Closed
Championships at the Saujana Golf and Country Club yesterday.
Ali returned an even par 72 for a four-day total of one-over 289 to
pocket RM22,000.
"I played a relaxed game today (yesterday), though I shot an eagle on
the first, I knew it would not be easy as this is a very tough course,"
said Ali.
With the win, Ali confirmed his ticket to the Asian PGA Tour next year.
Ali, who partnered M. Ramayah to finish 13th in the World Cup last
month, sank birdies on the fourth and seventh but bogeyed the second,
fifth, and eighth holes.
On the back nine, Ali birdied the 10th and 15th but bogeyed the 13th,
14th and 18th. The last hole was the result of a lost ball.
Rashid Ismail shared the second spot with P. Gunasegaran on 293.
Rashid carded a 75 while Gunasegaran returned a 72 in the final round.
Shaifubari Muda finished joint fourth with Jamaluddin Bador and
Nazamuddin Yusof. He could only manage a 76 while Jamaluddin and
Nazamuddin both had 74s.
In a tournament which produced high scores, Mohamed Tahir shot a three-
under 69 for the day's lowest score. He finished seventh on 299.
The best amateur was Mohamed Zamri, who had a total 307 and was followed
closely by Abang Khalifah on 308.
Final rd scores: 289 Ali Kadir 74-70-73-72; 292 P Gunasegaran 72-75-74-
72, Rashid Ismail 73-73-73-75; 295 Jamaluddin Bador 74-73-74-74,
Nazamuddin Yusof 73-73-75-74, Saifubari Muda 75-70-74-76; 299 Mohamed
Tahir 75-80-75-69; 300 Wong Hung Num 74-76-73-77; 301 A Anthonysamy 79-68-
78-76; 302 S Murthy 78-75-77-72; 304 M Ramayah 77-76-74-77, Ahmad Jamil
75-75-77-77, Mohamed Din 74-76-76-78; 306 Roslan Idris 80-77-80-69, Abdul
Rahim 80-74-80-72; 307 Danny Chia 74-78-77-78; 308 Baldev Singh 80-75-76-
77; 310 Malkit Singh 79-77-73-81; 311 Johnny Wong 74-83-79-75, V Gunalan
74-81-80-76, Rosdi Ismail 77-79-75-80; 312 Samsuddin Ramli 79-78-79-76,
Tan Boon Seng 75-78-82-77, Mohamed Rusli 78-76-79-79; 313 Sulaiman Ibrahim
79-79-79-76, V Suresh 71-83-78-81; 314 Shahizul Ahmad 80-77-78079,
Lawrance Lau 78-77-80-79; 315 Khamis Jalil 79-79-82-75, James Wong 75-79-
84-77; 316 Idris Majid 77-80-80-79, CM Chong 79-76-81-80; 317 Nor Azhar
79-74-84-80; 318 Tamilchelvam 79-78-81-80, Rosni Wan Chik 79-78-77-84; 319
Ruddin Wan Chik 78076-86-89; 320 N Valiappan 78-80-85-77; 322 Abdul
Zulkarnian 81-77-85-79, Ahmad Hambali 82-74-83-83.
(END)

Wong pips Tan to the fifth leg title

05/12/1997

ALAN WONG pipped overnight leader Benjamin Tan to the title in the Fifth
Leg of the SportExcel National Junior Golf at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Golf Club yesterday.
Tan, leading the field going into the final round, fired a disappointing
80 to finish one stroke behind Wong.
Wong shot 76 for a three-day total of 226 while Tan, who returned 73 and
74 in the earlier rounds, finished on 227. To add to his misery, he lost
out in sudden death to Farif Jalil in the fight for the second spot.
In the Under-16 competition, Tengku Nasrul fired a 77 to finish tops
while Lim Eng Seng won the sudden-death to finish second.
Jason Wee led from day one to win the mixed Under-13 category with a
three-day total of 247 and Jonathan Kok finished second with a total of
264.
In the Girls' Under-20, the Fourth leg runner-up Lee Seok Voon returned
a score of 79 to pip Lau Sook Ping.
Leading final rd scores - Boys' Under-20: 226 Alan Wong (KGC) 74-73-76;
227 Farif Jalil (MGA) 77-76-74, Faridil Altras (MGA) 77-76-74, Benjamin
Tan (MSN) 73-74-80; 232 Shaaban Hussin (KKDR/MSN) 73-80-79; 234 S. Sundram
(SGL) 79-76-79; 239 Ku Sahidan (KGC) 80-81-78; 245 S. Supanan (MSNK) 82-
81-81; 249 Nazarudin Talib (MSNK) 82-86-81; 250 Aaron Ng (Saujana) 97-88-
83; 252 Mohamed Muhaiyuddin (MSNK) 89-87-77; 255 Thinesh (KGNS) 84-81-90;
257 S. Ramesh 85-92-80; 266 Amran Mat Nusi (Sapura) 89-92-85; 270 Mohamed
Ikram (SGL) 85-93-92; Shaiful Rizal (KKDR/MSN) 88-92-91.
Under-16: 234 Tengku Nasrul (MSN) 78-79-77; 235 Lim Eng Seng (SIGC) 79-
81-75, Mohamed Endry (LGC) 78-77-81, Jason Chan (SGCC) 74-79-83; 237 Ting
Tiew Seng (Sarawak) 77-80-80; 241 Dino Daud (LGC) 78-84-79; 242 Collin Gan
(Sapura) 86-80-76; 246 Alias Sain (Sarawak) 86-78-82; 247 Calvin Husni
(SGCC) 86-82-79; 249 Alex Pui (Sarawak) 81-84-84; 250 Shin Dong Ming (KDE)
82-79-89; 251 Andrian Fong (AKCC) 86-81-84.
Under-13 (boys' and girls'): 247 Jason Mee (KRTU) 82-84-81; 264 Jonathan
Kok (SAAS) 91-85-88; 277 Anslem Chang (Sarawak) 92-94-91; 280 Kemarul
Bahrin (BKGC) 99-93-88, Bennedict Chang (Sarawak) 90-98-92; 285 Victor Gan
91-92-102; 289 Anis Helmi (KRTU) 102-97-106.
Girls' Under-20: 253 Lee Seok Voon (KGNS) 92-82-79; 257 Lau Sook Ping
(KGNS) 88-85-84; 272 Patricia Leong (BJCC) 94-82-86; 280 Chooi Yu San
(KGNS) 92-83-95; 294 Amelia Lee (KGNS) 102-80-102; 311 Desiree Lee (KGNS)
105-105-101.
Coming fixtures - Dec 8-11: Sixth leg (Perangsang Templer Golf Club,
Templer Park); Dec 15-18: Grand Finals (Saujana Golf Club).
(END)

Westwood strikes it right

07/12/1997

SOMETIMES in the world of sport, the sponsorship of an athlete can change
the course of things. It makes the difference between money well spent or
money flushed down the drain.
It is also a shrewd business decision.
That was the case with Lee Westwood and Saujana Golf and Country Club.
When Saujana announced their sponsorship with Westwood after he won the
Malaysian Open this year, cynics had their doubts as they felt it was an
unwise move.
How wrong they were. In September, Westwood partnered Darren Clarke to
win the Ryder Cup for Europe in Valderama, Spain, and started the uphill
climb in style.
The winner of the Volvo Masters in Spain and Taiheiyo Masters in Japan
then beat Greg Norman at his own backyard on the fourth playoff hole in
the Australian Open.
Norman was cruising two shots ahead with two holes to play before
suffering bogeys at the 17th and 18th. He missed a putt from five feet on
the fourth playoff hole for a bogey to Westwood's par.
When asked what was on his mind during the Australian Open sudden death:
"Not much really, I was just concentrating on the job at hand and was
pretty cool because I knew it could swing either way and the worse that
could happen is that I finish second.
"Maybe I was just lucky", said Westwood.
Luck or not, Westwood's win boosted his world rankings from 27th to 23rd
and confirmed what had been apparent to seasoned observers. Westwood is
ready to join Collin Montgomerie among the successors of Nick Faldo,
Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam.
In fact other than Tiger Woods, Westwood has hogged the headlines in
golf and this has helped Malaysia greatly.
Westwood's sponsorship deal with the Club requires him to wear the club
insignia on his sleeve and on his golfing bag, the words Visit Malaysia
are boldly displayed.
"In a way, the sponsorship had benefitted both parties - right now when
the media interview me, I say that I am from Saujana and the Visit
Malaysia logo promotes Malaysia as well. It is a great relationship."
The Club's foresight in backing Westwood, reminds one of Nike's
brilliant move to invest US$40 million on Tiger Woods when he was just
turning pro. Although Woods was the three-time American amateur champion,
still no sponsors were prepared to put such a big sum on the golfer. Nike
did. Saujana did too, and Malaysia has come out winners.
"When I played at the recent US Open and reached the ninth hole, which
is one of the longest, some guy saw the Visit Malaysia logo on my bag and
remarked 'well, this is certainly the longest, its going all the way to
Malaysia'."
(END)

Faizal tames tricky Perangsang to lead

10/12/1997

MOHAMED Faizal returned a one-over 73 in the first round of the
SportExcel-TV3-NST National Junior Championships at the Perangsang Templer
Golf Club yesterday.
Faizal birdied the first hole and maintained a steady hand at the tricky
and tight course to take a one-stroke lead from Mohamed Farif.
S. Suppanan shot a 75 and is in third spot.
In the Boys' Under-16, Alex Pui shot a 77 to lead the pack. Mohamed
Ridzual and Tengku Nasrul, who returned 78s are joint second. In third
place is Ting Tiew Sing on 80.
Jason Wee, winner of the fifth leg held at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah GC,
carded a 79 to lead the Under-13 mixed event. Azlizan Zakaria returned 83
to stay second.
In the Girls' Under-20 Lau Sook Ping, runnerup in the fifth leg, despite
a 86 leads by 18 strokes from Amelia Lee of KGNS who shot a miserable 104.
Scores, 1st rd - Boys' Under-20: 73 Mohamed Faizal (MGA); 74 Mohamed
Farif (KGSAAS), Rosyidi Rahim (RKC/MSN Ked); 75 S. Suppanan (RKC-MSN Ked);
77 Benjamin Tan (MSN); 78 Azhan Effandy (MGA), Mohamed Sahal (MGA),
Mohamed Yusri (KGS); 79 Faridil Atras (MGA); 82 Aaron Ng (SGCC), Liew Kok
Hoe (CWSGC), Shaban Hussien (RKC-MSN Ked); 83 Mohamed Ikram Arshad (SGL);
85 Yusri Awang (MSN Kel); 86 Rubaghandan (PKGR), Shanmugam (PTGC); 87
Nazaruddin Taib (RKC-MSNKed); 88 S. Sundram (SGL); 90 Razali Mohamed (MSN
Kel); 92 Abdul Halim (PTGC), Ayed Muhamed (SGL); 98 Amirul Nizam (KGNS);
99 Ayed Ahmmad (PTGC); 103 Moahmed Rizal (PKGR); 117 Nordin Sudirman
(PTGC).
Under-16: 77 Alex Pui (KGS); 78 Mohamed Ridzual (MSNKel), Tengku Nasrul
(MSN); 79 Dino Daud (LGC); 80 Ting Tiew Sing (KGS); 81 Adam Ng (KGNS),
Fong Seng Tat (KRTU), Lee Sau Joo (SIGC), Mohamed Edry (LGC), Mohamed
Hafiz (KGS); 82 Collin Gan (Sapura), Samsuddin Molok (KGS), Shin Dong Min
(KDE); 83 Fong Yewin (KRTU-Sapura); 84 Alidas Sain (KGS), Mohamed Ibrahim
(MSN Kel), Wai Haw Chuan (RSGC); 85 Faisal Rahman ((MSN Kel); 86 Aaron
Agnel (Tropicana); 87 Mathew Ng (KGSAAS); 88 Jonathan Ng (SIGC); 89 Aidil
Fitri Zainal (SIGC), Chen Kim Chuan (IOIGC), Mohamed Merican (RSGC), Sean
Fong (SGL); 90 Victor Sim (KHGC); 91 Amirul Adha Malek (KGNS), Mohamed
Rizal (BJCC); 93 Mohamed Johan (TGCC); 94 Lau Kin Khey (KGNS), Rejeev
Singh (LGC); 95 Ahmad Zayyani (SIGC); 98 Kim Hee Tae (KDE); 99 Hishamuddin
Abdullah (MSN Kel); 100 Shukri Mustapha (KGSAAS); 101 Sim Wei Man (SIGC).
Under-13 (boys and girls): 79 Jason Wee (KRTU); 83 Azlizan Zakaria
(MSNKel); 88 Hanafiah Jamil (PKGR); 94 Kemarol Baharin (BKGCC); 96 Lee
Youth Chean (PKGR); 102 David Chan (SIGC), David Chan (SIGC); 103 Mohamed
Hanis (KGS); 109 Anslem Chang (KGS); 112 Alwin Chang (KGS); 114 Anis Helmi
(KRTU); 115 Sharizad Shahrul (SIGC); 116 Victor Gan (KGAT/Sapura); 130 Nur
Sayyeeda Saad (RKC-MSN Ked).
Girls' Under-20: 86 Lau Sook Ping (KGNS); 104 Amelia Lee (KGNS); 107
Desiree Lee (KGNS); 123 Chan Heang Peng (KGNS).
(END)

Farif takes one-stroke lead into final round

11/12/1997

MOHAMED Farif returned the lowest score of the day to take a one-stroke
lead into the final round of the Sixth Leg of the SportExcel-TV3-NST
National Junior Golf at the Perangsang Templer Golf Club yesterday.
Farif birdied holes No 5, 12 and 16 for one-under 71 to overtake first
round leader Mohamed Faizal Bee by one stroke. In third place is Fifth Leg
winner Benjamin Tan who returned 74 for a two-day total of 151.
In the Under-16, Tengku Nasrul returned 74 to take the first spot while
first round leader Alex Pui blew his chance when he carded a poor 87.
Second rd - Boys' Under-20: 146 Mohamed Farif 74-71 (KGSAAS); 147
Mohamed Faizal Bee 73-74 (MGA); 151 Benjamin Tan 77-74 (MSN); 154 Faridil
Atras 79-75 (MGA), S. Suppanan 75-79 (RKC-MSN Ked); 156 Mohamed Sahal 78-
78 (MGA); 158 Shaban Hussein 82-76 (RKC-MSN Ked); 160 Liew Kok Hoe 82-78
(CWSGC), Mohamed Yusri 78-82 (KGS), Rosydi Rahim 74-86 (RKC-MSN Ked); 162
Aaron Ng 82-80 (SGCC), Ezhan Effandy (PKGR); 164 Nazaruddin Taib 87-77
(RKC-MSN Ked); 166 Yusri Awang 85-81 (MSN Kel).
Under-16: 152 Tengku Nasrul 78-74 (MSN); 154 Lim Eng Seng 79-75 (SIGC);
158 Collin Gan 82-76 (Sapura); 160 Dino Daud 79-81 (LGC), Ting Tiew Sing
80-80 (KGS), Mohamed Edry 61-79 (LGC); 161 Fong Seng Tat 81-80 (KRTU); 164
Alex Pui 77-87 (KGS), Mohamed Ridzuan 78-86 (MSN Kel), Mohamed Hafiz 81-83
(KGS); 165 Leroy Chiam 79-86 (SIGC); 166 Wai Haw Chuan 84-82 (RSGC), Shin
Dong Min 82-84 (KRTU-Sapura), Adam Ng 81-85 (KGNS); 167 Lee Sau Joo 81-86
(SIGC); 169 Faisal Rahman 85-84 (MSN Kel); 170 Samsuddin Molok 82-88
(KGS); 172 Mahadi Ibrahim 84-88 (MSN Kel); 175 Alidas Sain 84-91 (KGS);
176 Aaron Agnel 86-90 (Tropicana), Sean Fong 89-87 (SGL); 177 Matthew Ng
87-90 (KGSAAS); 180 Jonathan Chong 88-92 (SIGC); 181 Amirul Adha 91-90
(KGNS); 182 Shukri Mustapha 100-82 (KGSAAS), Hishamuddin Abdullah 99-83
(MSN Kel), Aidil Fitri 89-93 (SIGC), Victor Sim 90-92 (KHGC); 183 Mohamed
Rizal 91-92 (BJCC).
Under-13 (boys' and girls'): 156 Jasan Wee 79-79 (KRTU); 167 Hanifah
Jamil 88-79 (PKGR); 177 Azlizan Zakaria 83-94 (MSN Kel); 195 David Chan
102-93 (SIGC); 196 Kemarul Baharin 94-102 (BKGCC); 200 Mohamed Hanis 103-
97 (KGS); 209 Anis Helmi 114-98 (KRTU); 211 Lee Youth Chean (PKGR), Pravin
Paul 102-109 (SIGC), Anslem Chang 109-102 (KGS).
Girls' Under-20: 174 Lau Sook Ping 86-88 (KGNS); 207 Amelia Lee 104-103
(KGNS); 232 Desiree Lee 107-125 (KGNS); 245 Chan Heang Peng 123-122
(KGNS).
(END)

Paizal wins sudden-death

12/12/1997

MOHAMED Paizal Bee won the Sixth Leg of the SportExcel-TV3-NST National
Junior Golf at the Perangsang Templer Golf Club on sudden death yesterday.
Paizal and overnight leader Mohamed Farif were tied on a three-day total
of 219 but Paizal pipped Farif at the 18th hole playoff.
"It was a close match, but I lost concentration during the sudden death
and the title slipped out of my hands," said Farif, who fired a 74 at the
tricky course yesterday.
In the Boys' Under-16, Tengku Nasrul beat Lim Eng Seng also on sudden
death at the 10th hole. Both were tied on 219.
"The Sixth Leg turned out to be the most keenly contested, what with two
titles decided on sudden death," said the executive director of Malaysia
Golf Association Teng Mui Ngee.
The Grand Finals will be held at the Saujana Golf and Country Club on
Dec 15-18.
Final rd scores - Boys' Under-20: 219 Mohamed Paizal 73-74-72 (MGA)
(sudden death), Mohamed Farif 74-71-74 (KGSAAS); 228 Faridil Atras 79-74-
74 (MGS); 234 S. Suppanan 75-79-80 (RKC/MSNKed) OCB, Benjamin Tan 77-74-83
(MSN); 235 Shaban Hussien 82-76-77 (RKC/MSNKed); 237 Mohamed Sahal 78-78-
81 (MGA); 239 Rosydi Rahim 74-86-79 (RKC/MSNKel); 240 Liew Kok Hoe 82-78-
80 (CWSGC); 242 Nazaruddin Taib 87-77-78 (RKC/MSNKed); 246 Mohamed Yusri
78-82-86 (KGS); 247 Aaron Ng 82-80-85 (SGCC); 249 Azhan Effandy 768-84-87
(PKGR); 250 S. Subramaniam 88-79-83 (SGL); 252 Shanmugam 86-85-81 (PTGC),
Yusri Awang Teh 85-81-86 (MSNKel); 256 Mohamed Ikram Arsyad 83-87-86
(SGL); 264 Razali Mohamed 90-90-84 (MSNKel); 270 Abdul Halim 92-86-92
(PTGC).
Under-16: 228 Tengku Nasrul 78-74-76 (MSN) (sudden death), Lim Eng Seng
79-75-74 (SIGC); 236 Dino Daud 79-81-76 (LGC), Collin Gan 82-76-78
(Sapura); 241 Alex Pui 77-87-77 (KGS); 243 Mohamed Edry 81-79-83 (LGC);
244 Mohamed Ridzuan 78-86-80 (MSNKel), Ting Tiew Sing 80-80-84 (KGS).
Under-13 (boys and girls): 231 Wee Jason 79-79-73 (Sapura/KRTU); 253
Hanafiah Jamil 88-79-86 (PKGR); 262 Azlizan Zakaria 83-94-85 (MSNKel); 283
Kemarol Baharin 94-102-87 (BKGCC), David Chan 102-93-88 (SIGC); 300
Mohamed Hanis 103-97-100 (KGS); 306 Anis Helmi 114-95-97 (KRTU); 308
Anslem Chang 109-102-97 (KGS); 311 Pravin Paul 102-109-100 (SIGC); 314 Lee
Youth 96-115-103 (PKGR).
Girls' Under-20: 254 Le Sook Ping 86-88-80 (KGNS); 310 Amelia Lee 104-
103-103 (KGNS); 347 Desiree Lee 107-125-115 (KGNS); 367 Chan Heang Peng
123-122-122 (KGNS).
(END)

MGA bring game to laymen

12/12/1997

THE Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) have come up with a novel way of
bringing golf to the man on the street.
You don't belong to a club? Nevermind, because when MGA finalise the
details, those interested will get a chance to tee-off.
"We came up with the idea because over the years we found many are
interested in the sport but because they can't afford to become golf club
members, they don't pick it up," said MGA executive secretary Lt Kol (R)
Bob Wang.
MGA are planning to allow individuals to become members, an extension of
their present policy of only having clubs as members or affiliates.
This will allow MGA to approach clubs on behalf of the individual
affiliates.
"MGA have approached a few clubs and have put forward this proposal, and
most have also agreed to provide discounts for individuals affiliated to
MGA," he added.
"Members will have to buy their own equipment and there will be coaching
clinics to familiarise themselves with golf."
Once affiliated, the members can take part in tournaments sanctioned by
the MGA but they will not have voting rights.
"The plan is to get a larger pool of golfers, preferably young ones. A
meeting will be held soon to finalise matters."
(END)

Indians not keen to host Malaysians

16/12/1997

INDIA are not keen to play Test matches against Malaysia, nor are they
ready to share Germany's schedule.
That leaves the National team with 10 matches to prepare for the 9th
Men's World Cup in Utrecht, Holland, on May 21-June 1.
"We wanted to expose the team to at least 15 quality matches before the
World Cup but New Zealand declined our request for Test matches while
India are not keen to share Germany's schedule or even host Malaysia,"
said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary S. Satgunam after the
executive committee meeting yesterday.
Germany are scheduled to tour India on Jan 2-12, and since the Malaysian
team are also scheduled for three Test matches against India from Jan 11,
the MHF wrote to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) requesting for Test
matches against Germany on Jan 9 and 10.
"We were prepared to go early. We even wrote to the Germans, and they
agreed to play Malaysia if India can make changes in their schedule. But
sadly India not only refused to accommodate Malaysia, but also stated that
they are not keen to play against the Malaysian side."
New Zealand were invited to extend their stay in Kuala Lumpur after the
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Feb 28-March 8. The MHF wanted to play three Test
matches on March 10-13 but the Kiwis declined the invitation as their
players must be back in New Zealand on March 9.
"That leaves us with six matches in the Azlan Shah Cup, two Test matches
against Holland on April 25 and 26, and two Tests against Germany on May 2
and 3."
Meanwhile, the MHF have selected 24 players to undergo national training
and they will not be allowed to take part in the Junior Hockey League,
Malaysia Games, the Razak Cup, and all other sanctioned tournaments except
the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
"The MHF decided that the team for the 1998 World Cup and the
Commonwealth Games will be their top priority so the players must be kept
as a team. During the MHL, each team can register four national players
unlike the open ruling lasy year.
"But clubs that employ more than four national players can field all,"
said Satgunam.
THE national squad - Goalkeepers: Izuan Suhardi Selamat, Roslan
Jamaluddin, Paul Lopez, Mohamed Nasihin Nubli;
Defenders: Maninderjit Singh, Lailin Abu Hassan, A. Arul Selvaraj,
Kerpal Singh, Brian Jayhan Siva, K. Gobinathan, Calvin Fernandez, Nor
Azlan Bakar, R. Shankar.
Midfielders: Chairil Anwar, S. Kuhan, K. Keevan Raj, S. Nishel Kumar,
Aphtar Singh, M. Kaliswaran.
Forwards: Nor Saiful Zaini, Mirnawan Nawawi, K Logan Raj, Mahinder
Singh, Lam Mun Fatt.
Reserves: Muhamed Nizam Nordin, I. Vikneswaran.
(END)

Marching on confidently

17/12/1997

THESE day you get to hear and see more of Datuk Seri Manap Ibrahim, the
Sukom Ninety Eight Bhd Chief Operating Officer. Whatever happened to their
Chief Executive Chairman, Jen (Rtd) Tan Sri Hashim Mohamed Ali?
The retired chief of the Armed Forces, who created a stir with his
sudden resignation in June and equally speedy withdrawal of it, is seldom
seen at Sukom functions.
There was even talk within the sporting fraternity that Hashim wants
out. Names such as Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar have been touted as likely
successors but senior Sukom officials have denied it.
Hashim is best remembered for that well publicised resignation episode
when he threw in the towel after a spate of criticisms
of town for weeks and- incidentally gave the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth
Games wide publicity.
Since that episode, the 60 year-old Hashim has been a little subdued. No
more the gungho ex-general ready to take on the world. Always on the
defensive, protecting Sukom like a "priceless jewel".
Randhir Singh, who interviewed the man found him as affable cheerful and
still enthusiastic as he was when he first took the job in March 1993.
what role is left for you?
A: No, Muhyiddin is there to assist me. We (Sukom) remain the organisers
of the Games. People may consider it as interference but Muhyiddin's role
is to just assist me.
Q: You mean to say you are not playing second fiddle to Muhyiddin?
A: No.
Q: How is the morale of Sukom staff after your resignation episode?
A: High. Very, very high and looking forward to the Games. They are
dedicated and doing well.
Q: Are Sukom in full gear with about nine months to the Games?
A: I think Nashatar Singh's operations department is in full swing. The
rest are providing good support.
Q: Will. you resign again from Sukom for whatever reason with less than
a year to go. There is talk that you are unhappy and
may resign?
A: No truth in it. No question about me resigning.
Q: Will volunteerism work in Malaysia. Can Sukom mobilise 15,000
volunteers for free and the best out of them?
A: We underestimate our youth. Their volunteerism spirit. You will be
surprised with the fire in them. Our encounter with them gives us
tremendous encouragement that Malaysia's biggest volunterism exercise
during the 10-day Games will not only be a success but will bring about a
new meaning to the concept for volunteerism.
Q: Tan Sri, with the current severe economic problems faced by the
country I don't see how Sukom can escape the trimming exercise?
A: Yes the fat needs to be trimmed. No two ways about it. The budget of
RM305 million is one thing but that does not mean we must spend that much.
For example if we have budget ed RM1.50 per drink for the volunteers we
will not hes istate to purchase it for RM1.20 if it is made available.
For instance we have budgeted RM180 per person for a hotel room but come
September 1998 if we can get RM120, we will go for it.
Sukom promises Malaysians that we will cut down.
Q: Tan Sri, the success or failure of any Games hinges to some extent on
the level of participation. The quality of the field is vital. With no
appearance fee and the Games itself merely a gathering of former British
colonies, how do you see the Games?
A: Well, in any Games you are bound to see some withdrawals due to
various factors such as injuries, illness and clash of schedules. But so
far only England have said they will not send teams for cricket and rugby.
Australia, a powerhouse in these two sports, have confirmed they are
coming.
(END)

Mahathir sparks Penang goal rush; Johor whipped

18/12/1997

KELANTAN ..... 4 PAHANG ... 1
TERENGGANU ... 7 JOHOR ... 4
ARMED FORCES ... 0 POLICE ... 5
PENANG ........ 3 SARAWAK ...1

PENANG started their FA of Malaysia-Milo Under-18 Cup campaign on a high
note when they beat Sarawak 3-1 in a Group D match at the Police depot
ground yesterday.
Penang controlled the match from the first whistle and in the 28th
minute Mahathir Mohamed scored the opening goal off a goalmouth melee when
Sarawak goalkeeper Mohamed Firdaus failed to hold on to the ball.
In the 40th minute Penang increased the lead off a Mohamed Azani header
but Sarawak's pulled one back through Mohamed Zaafari in the 62nd minute.
In Group C, Kelantan beat Pahang 4-1 with goals from Wan Mohamed Azmi
(23rd), Khairan Eroza (24th), Khaifan Eroza (62nd) and Mohamed Admi
(76th). Pahang's goal was scored by Hazeri Hafeeza (42nd).
At the adjacent field, Terengganu scored seven goals against Johor who
replied with four.
Subri Sulong scored two (9th, 65th), Suhardi Che Aziz (15th), Hairuddin
Omar (20th), Hairuddin Omar (44th), Alfian Aziz (51st) and Ahmad Rizal
(76th) scored one apiece.
Johor replied through Hishamuddin Mohamed (67th), Faizal Anuar (73rd),
Eddy Helmi (78th, 82nd).
In Group D, Police beat Armed Forces 5-0 with goals from Azrine Affendy
(28th, 44th), Fazwadi Halifah (55th), Azrine Affendy (67th), Mohamed
Faibzuwandy (87th).
(END)

Airil takes over lead from Sahal

18/12/1997

AIRIL Rizman of National Sports Council (NSC) grabbed a one-stroke lead
into the final round of the SportExcel National Junior Golf Grand Final at
the Saujana Golf and Country Club yesterday.
Airil shot a 79 for a two-day total of 155 to lead the field. He is
followed in second place by Mohamed Farif of Malaysia Golf Association
(MGA) on 71.
Overnight leader Mohamed Sahal of MGA returned 89 to share the third
spot with Mohamed Paizal (MGA) and Mohamed Rosydi of Kedah on a 163 total.
In the Under-16, Izwan Nordin of SportExcel returned the lowest score of
the day when he carded 76.
Mary Thing of SGC shot a 84 yesterday for a two-day 169 to lead Girls'
Under-20 field.
Second rd scores - Boys Under-20: 155 Airil Rizman 76-79 (MSN); 156
Mohamed Farif 79-77 (MGA); 161 Shaaban Hussein 81-80 (RKC-MSNKed); 163
Mohamed Paizal 80-83(MGA), Mohamed Sahal 74-89 (MGA), Mohamed Rosydi 82-81
(RKC-MSNKed); 167 Benjamin Tan 85-82 (MSN); 172 Nazaruddin Taib 83-89
(RKC-MSNKed), Aaron Ng 82-90 (Sarawak); 173 Ku Shahidan Ku Din 85-88 (RKC-
MSNKel); 174 S. Sundram 88-86 (SGL); 175 S. Suppanan 88-87 (RKC-MSNKed),
Faridil Atras 83-92 (MGA); 177 Ting Tiew Kai 91-86 (Sarawak), Mohamed
Ikram Arshad 86-91 (SGL); 179 Mohamed Yusri 91-88 (KGS); 183 Liew Kok Hoe
95-88 (CWSGC).
Under-16: 158 Izwan Nordin 82-76 (KGS-SportExcel); 159 Lim Eng Seng 80-
79 (SIGC); 163 Ting Tiew Seng 83-80 (KGS); 166 Collin Gan 80-86 (Sapura);
169 Tengku Nasrul 83-86 (MSN); 172 Wai Haw Chuan 86-86 (RSGC), Mohamed
Edry Awang 85-87 (Labuan GC); 173 Alidas Sain 90-83 (KGS), Lee Sau Joo 87-
86 (SIGC); 174 Mohamed Ridzuan 85-89 (MSNKel); 177 Fong Yewin 92-85
(Sapura-KRTU), Dino Daud 87-90 (Labuan GC); 180 Victor Sim 91-89 (KHGC);
182 Fong Seng Tat 94-88 (KRTU); 187 Matthew Ng 94-93 (KGSAAS); 188 Adam Ng
93-95 (KGNS); 189 Chen kim Chuan 98-91 (IOIGC); 192 Rajeev Singh 99-93
(Labuan GC).
Under-13: 167 Khor Kheng Wai 89-78 (BJawiGC); 168 Wee Jason 80-88
(Sapura-PGGC); 170 Hanafiah Jamil 78-92 (PKGR); 182 Azlizan Zakaria 92-90
(MSNKel); 193 Kemarol Baharin 96-97 (KGS); 198 Anslem Chang 104-94 (KGS).
Girls Under-20: 169 Mary Thing 85-84 (SGC); 177 Rebecca Sia 93-84 (SGC);
179 Lau Sook Ping 89-90 (KGNS); 182 Delsye Teo 90-92 (Sarawak).
(END)

Malacca hit form to edge Sabah

19/12/1997

MALACCA came back strongly after the interval to beat Sabah 4-1 in theNational Under-18 soccer championship at the Police Depot groundyesterday. Malacca opened accounts in the 63rd minute off a free-kick by MohamedNajib. After that goal, Malacca looked a more confident side and startedpushing forward. They were rewarded a minute later when Mohamed Fauzzimade a solo run on the left to beat Sabah goalkeeper Salman Sahad. As theball was rolling in Sabah's Jelin Batsok made a diving save only todeflect it into goal. Fauzzi made another opening for Najib to score his second goal in the72nd minute. Sabah reduced the deficit through Doddey Andis in the 75th minute. Shocked by the goal, Malacca once again started attacking and in the87th minute, Alias Khalil received a long ball and made a weak attempt atgoal. Goalkeeper Salman misjudged the angle and could only watch as theball rolled in. At the adjacent pitch, the much-anticipated Selangor and Kuala Lumpurmatch fizzled out when both teams settled for a 0-0 draw. In the earlier match, Perak beat Negri Sembilan 2-0 when Azizul Omarscored in the 9th and 88th minutes while Kedah beat Perlis 3-1. Kedah's goals were scored by Mohamed Fadly (5th, 31st, 44th) whileMohamed Irmady (35th) scored for Perlis.

MALACCA ....... 4 SABAH .......... 1

SELANGOR ...... 0 K LUMPUR ....... 0
PERAK ......... 2 N SEMBILAN ..... 0
PERLIS ........ 1 KEDAH .......... 3

ends/

Farif emerges tops despite shooting a six-over 78

19/12/1997

MOHAMED Farif of the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) played a steady hand
to claim the SportExcel National Junior Golf Grand Finals trophy at the
Saujana Golf and Country Club yesterday.
Farif, who remained in the shadows in the earlier rounds, returned six-
over 78 to pip overnight leader Airil Rizman of the National Sports
Council by one stroke.
Airil, who shot a 76 in the first round, returned an 80 for the second
place. Mohamed Sahal of the MGA finished third on a three-day total of
240.
In the Under-16 category, Lim Eng Seng of Seremban International Golf
Club (SIGC) returned 82 but it was good enough to win him the title. Izwan
Nordin of SportExcel and Collin Gan of Sapura finished second and third on
a three-day total of 244 and 250 respectively.
Wee Jason of Sapura returned an 83 to win the Under-13 title while
Hanafiah Jamil finished second on a three-day total of 253.
Final rd scores - Boys' Under-20: 234 Mohamed Farif Jalil 79-77-78
(MGA); 235 Airil Rizman 76-79-80 (MSN); 240 Mohamed Sahal 74-89-77 (MGA);
243 Mohamed Paizal Bee 80-83-80 (MGA); 246 Benjamin Tan 85-82-79 (MSN);
249 Shaaban Hussein 81-80-88 (RKC-MSN Ked); 250 Mohamed Rosydi 82-81-87
(RKC-MSN Ked); 253 Faridil Atras 83-92-78 (MGA); 258 S. Sundram 88-86-84
(SGL); 259 Ting Tiew Kai 91-86-82 (Sarawak GC), Ku Shahidan Ku Din 85-88-
86 (RKC-MSNKel).
Under-16: 241 Lin Eng Seng 80-79-82 (SIGC); 244 Izwan Nordin 82-76-86
(SportExcel-KKGC); 250 Collin Gan 80-86-84 (Sapura); 251 Ting Tiew Seng
83-80-88 (KGS); 255 Tengku Nasrul Faiz 83-86-86 (MSN); 257 Wai Haw Chuan
86-86-85 (RSGC); 258 Alidas Sain 90-83-85 (KGS); 261 Mohamed Ridzuan 85-
89-87 (MSN Kel), Lee Sau Joo 87-86-88 (SIGC); 265 Mohamed Edry 85-87-93
(Labuan GC); 266 Fong Yewin 92-85-89 (Sapura-KRTU), Dino Daud 87-90-89
(Labuan GC); 273 Fong Seng Tat 94-88-91 (KRTU); 275 Matthew Ng 94-93-88
(KGSAAS); 278 Victor Sim 91-89-98 (KHGC).
Under-13: 249 Wee Jason 80-86-83 (Sapura-PGCC); 253 Hanafiah Jamil 78-
92-83 (PKGR); 257 Khor Kheng Wai 89-78-90 (Sarawak GC); 268 Azlizan
Zakaria 92-90-86 (MSN Kel); 294 Anslem Chang 104-94-96 (KGS); 298 Mohamed
Hanis 97-100-101 (KGS); 300 Kemarol Baharin 96-97-107 (BKGCC).
Girls' Under-20: 251 Mary Thing 85-84-82 (SGC); 263 Lau Sook Ping 89-90-
84 (KGNS); 271 Delsye Teo 90-92-89 (Sarawak GC); 274 Lee Seok Voon 95-92-
87 (KGNS); 278 Sim Yik Chwin 95-94-89 (Sarawak GC), Rebecca Sia 93-84-101
(SGC); 293 Chooi Yu San 99-94-100 (KGNS); 316 Amelia Lee 103-11-102
(KGNS); 354 Desiree Lee 110-119-125 (KGNS).
(END)

Subri takes Terengganu closer to quarterfinals

20/12/1997

POLICE ..... 1 PENANG ..... 1
SARAWAK .... 2 FORCES ..... 0
PAHANG ..... 1 TERENGGANU.. 5
JOHOR ...... 7 KELANTAN ... 2
TERENGGANU whipped Pahang 5-1 for their second straight win in the
National Milo-Under-18 Group C soccer championship at the Police Depot ground yesterday.
Subri Sulong scored Terengganu's opening goal in the 29th minute but
Mohamed Azmani equalised for Pahang eight minutes later.
Terengganu, however, were back in the lead, thanks to another goal from
Subri in the 49th minute.
They did not look back after this and went on to hit three more goals
through Alfian Aziz (61st), Hairudin Omar (85th) and Ahmad Tahrin (89th).
In another Group C match, Johor thrashed Kelantan 7-2 to stay second in
the group behind Terengganu.
Eddy Helmi slammed four goals (40th, 53rd, 65th and 78th) while Low Seng
Chong (26th), Nazaruddin Zakaria (37th) and Hasnul Hadi (67th) scored
apiece or Johor .
Kelantan replied through Khairan Eroza (34th) and Mohamed Admi (75th).
In Group D, Police held Penang to a 1-1 draw and Sarawak beat Armed
Forces 2-0.
Mohamed Ridhwan put Penang ahead in the seventh minute but Azrine
Affendy equalised in the 37th.
Police, one of the most skillful side in the tournament, topped Group D
with four points while Penang are second on goal difference.
Sarawak's goals came through Bonny Wilson (25th) and Syed Zyed Asnawi
(44th).

KL bounce back to march into s-finals

24/12/1997

KUALA Lumpur bounced back after conceding an early goal to edge Terengganu
2-1 for a berth in the FA of Malaysia-Milo National Under-18 Cup
semifinals at the Police Depot ground yesterday.
Other teams who made the cut were Selangor, who will meet Kedah, and
Perak who take on KL.
Terengganu started on a confident note but could not keep the ball
moving forward.
The East Coast State earlier opened accounts through Alfizan Aziz in the
16th minute and looked as if they had the match sealed but Kuala Lumpur
had other plans.
The city boys came back strongly after the breather and were rewarded
when Mohamed Hazmin sent in a hard shot in the 56th minute which caught
goalkeeper Mohamed Syamsuri off guard.
The match became robust after this but the Kuala Lumpur players kept
cool and dominated play. In the 89th minute, Kuala Lumpur coach Mohamed
Shamsudin took a gamble and substituted top striker Mohamed Nizaruddin
with Mohamed Farid.
Farid received a good pass just as he ran into the pitch and put Kuala
Lumpur into the semifinals with his first kick of the match.
Earlier, goals by Ahmad Norafandy (50th, 82nd) and U. Ganesan (86th)
gave Perak a 3-2 victory over Penang in another clash. Mohamed Razwidaura
(20th) and Hasmawi Hassan (54th) replied for Penang.
On the adjacent pitch, champions Selangor lived up to expectations when
they beat Johor 2-1 to set up a meeting with Kedah in the other semifinal
today.
Selangor's goals were scored by Mohamed Helmi (4th, 52nd) while Johor
pulled one back through Mohmed Fareed (68th).
In the other quarterfinal, Kedah overcame a gritty Police 3-1 with goals
from Mohamed Fadly (13th, 72nd) and Akmal Rizal (89th) while Mahadi Haliah
(12th) scored for Police. SELANGOR ....... 2
JOHOR .......... 1 KEDAH .......... 3
POLICE ......... 1 TERENGGANU ..... 1
K LUMPUR ....... 2 PENANG ......... 2
PERAK ......... 3
(END)

Biggest Sikh sporting event

24/12/1997

BACK in 1949 the Malaya Sikh Sports Council was formed to further enhance
the sporting activities of Sikhs in Malaysia, and hockey was foremost on
its development plans.
"A challenge trophy, which is said to have been left over when the Malay
States Guides was disbanded, became the Gurdwara Cup and Selangor are the
first champions," said the organising chairman of the 46th Gurdwara Cup
Sohan Singh Randhawa.
The Gurdwara Cup is the oldest known hockey tournamant in Malaysia and
has produced great past and present names like national players
Maninderjit Singh, Kerpal Singh and former national captain Sarjit Singh.
"Although the Gurdwara Cup, sanctioned by the Malaysian Hockey
Federation (MHF), is held once in a year it is keenly contested by all the
States and every year a new talent for the national team is found."
Last year, the Gurdwara Cup final was marred with the incident of Negri
Sembilan skipper Sarjit Singh hiting umpire Mahabeer Singh after an
argument. Negri were playing Kuala Lumpur.
"The MHF have endorsed a four-year ban on Sarjit for hitting a referee,
I hope this is a lesson to all the players this year and there will be
clean hockey this time around," added Sohan.
To make the occasion a memorable one, this year the final of the
Gurdwara Cup will be held at the Tun Razak Stadium.
Meanwhile the carnival, the largest Sikh sporting event in this region,
will see about 1,000 sportspersons competing for honours.
The event will also feature soccer, netball, tennis, squash, badminton,
indoor hockey (veterans), street soccer (under-16), golf and darts.
A dinner will also be held at the Crown Princess on Dec 26.
(END)

Karamjit and Roop lauded

24/12/1997

THE Selangor Sikh Union Kelab Aman will host the 46th Gurdwara Cup and the
Annual Sikh Festival of sports on Dec 26-28 at Kelab Aman in Kuala Lumpur.
The event, organised with the co-operation of the Malaysia-Singapore
Sikh Sports Council (MSSSC), is more than just fun and games.
"This is the best avenue for Sikh sportsmen to show their skills and
over the years the standard of competition has improved greatly," said the
president of Kelab Aman Dr S.S. Cheema.
This year, the MSSSC have chosen rally ace Karamjit Singh and national
hockey player Roop Kaur as the sportsman and sportswoman of 1997.
"Karamjit and Roop Kaur have done the community proud and it is only
just that they are rewarded."
Karamjit is the Asia-Pacific Rally champion while Roop Kaur played in
the gold medal winning team at the Jakarta Sea Games.
The Selangor Sikh Union Kelab Aman have also decided to set up a sports
development fund to sponsor youths for overseas training.
"We decided on this fund because there are many talented youths in our
country but they do not have the avenues to develop further, the Selangor
Sikh Union has taken a giant step which I hope other states will emulate."
The carnival will also see street soccer and indoor hockey played for
the first time: "We decided to include these two games because they are
highly popular among the youths of today."
Kelab Aman, the main venue for the carnival, will receive an RM1.5
million facelift to prepare for the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games soon.
"The Selangor Sikh Union are very grateful because the government has
chosen it as one of the cricket venues for the Games and once the Games
are over, the field can be used to further develop the sport among
youths."
(END)