MARCH 2 ― In a few days’ time, thousands of runners will descend on Shah Alam for the 2016 edition of the Malaysia Women Marathon. For many, this will be the first time that they try out the 42.195 km full marathon distance. For some, it will be the first time joining a race with other runners.

Come early Sunday morning, whatever the outcome, many will be inspired by the example of thousands pushing themselves to the limit of their physical and mental endurance, doing something that only a small percentage of the Malaysian population has done. It is that inspiration which will motivate individuals to run ultramarathons, triathlons, and push further and further to go beyond the ordinary.

Achieving excellence in sports has long been a national pursuit worth supporting. Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was a keen sportsman who recognised the unifying power of sports long before we were crowding around television sets and radios watching and listening to Misbun Sidik and Lee Chong Wei make devastating drop shots against trembling opponents.

We do not fear competition and we strive for excellence. Excellence should always be measured against the best and highest standards. That is how we improve as a people and a country.

Which is why I was taken aback to learn of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM)’s decision to remove several major athletic events, among many others the marathon, the 10000m, the 3000m steeplechase, the decathlon and the heptathlon, from the 2017 edition of the South East Asia Games.

Despite the rationale provided by the OCM that there were a number of events in previous Games which suffered due to a lack of entries from participating countries, the abovementioned saw no such problems and consistently had healthy and competitive participation. What is probably the issue is not the lack of entries from participating countries but rather that in recent times Malaysia has not been successful in these events or even bothered to send athletes to compete.

Now that is just not done. I wonder if the OCM was more concerned and worried about its KPIs, medal tally and public relations when it made this decision. Narrowing the field this way is selfish and poor sportsmanship.

Not being able to win a medal in an event is not justification for axing it from the Games. Malaysia tak boleh menang, potong. It is a crippling school yard mentality dominated by insecure and mediocre officials who prefer dirty tricks and safe choices which have a shot at the podium. This does a major disservice to our athletes who are more than capable to rise to the challenge.

I echo Ong Kian Ming’s sentiments on this issue in his recent letter and support his call for the investment and development of young talents in these sports.

Speaking of challenges, this Sunday, a group of concerned ladies, some of whom are participating in a race for the first time, will be running in the MWM. They aim to raise much-needed funds for Protect and Save the Children (PSC) which works to raise awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse, and rehabilitation of survivors. Support their run during MWM and the work of PSC by going to this link.

Oh, and thanks to the organisers, I will have the privilege of running in this Sunday’s full marathon and I will be doing that in a running skirt. See you at the start line!

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.