KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — They will represent the country in June’s Singapore SEA Games but four national swimmers feel let down by National Sports Council’s (NSC) refusal to support them.

The four — Caroline Chan from Selangor, Alwyn Tan (Penang), Tern Jian Han (Johor) and Chui Lai Kwan (Sabah) — claim NSC, which does not want to pay for their training swimsuits, should help every national swimmer prepare for the biennial Games.   

Selangor head coach Marilyn Chua said NSC declined because it “only provides swimsuits for SEA Games-bound swimmers who train at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil”.

“It only costs RM175 a suit for the girls and RM80 for the boys. According to NSC, swimmers who don’t train at Bukit Jalil will not get the privilege,” said Chua.

“I wonder why this doesn’t apply to swimmers training overseas. We are preparing for the Games but we don’t get the required support.” 

Chua, a former national swimmer and an Olympian, also revealed Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) had asked the states to pay for the swimsuits.

“When I asked Asum why it is not taking the lead, it said it has never bought swimsuits for national swimmers.”

Asum acting secretary general Mae Chen said NSC will provide all the 17 SEA Games swimmers (nine male and eight female) with an “Arena” swimsuit.

“This includes the four swimmers,” said Mae Chen.

“But NSC only buys training suits for those in the national squad.

“I’ve explained this to Penang, Johor and Sabah and they’ve agreed to buy their own. As for Selangor ... there’s nothing much we can do if it disagrees.”

Meanwhile, NSC director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said “it was a well-known fact” NSC only provides training suits for swimmers under the national training programme.

“Yes, they represent the country but they’re not in the training programme,” said Shapawi.

“Those training overseas are also part of the programme.

“We’ve notified Asum and it has agreed to the arrangement,” said Shapawi, who likened the quartet to “swimmers from private schools eligible to compete for Malaysia”.

Asked if NSC will change its stand, Shapawi said: “No, we will not.

“We have regulations and they apply to other sports as well.

“If we budge, then we will also need to do the same for other sports.”