KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Most Malaysians heaved a sigh of relief when Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government would allow non-contact sports and small group activities such as running, badminton, cycling and golf under the conditional movement control order (CMCO).

The ruling, which takes effect on Monday (May 4) is even more crucial for athletes who are in the process of qualifying for major sporting events such as the Olympics, as well as to maintain fitness levels to compete in future tournaments, even though most of them have been postponed.

National triple jump athlete Muhammad Hakimi Ismail, when contacted by Bernama, said he was longing for outdoor training after being ‘trapped’ in his home since the movement control order began on March 18.

"I have been training at home all this time, but in a restricted manner because I live in an apartment. The space is small, and I am afraid that the noise of me jumping will disturb the other neighbours.

"At home, it was more about improving my skills, muscle flexibility, as well as watching triple jump videos,” said 29-year-old athlete who dreams of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics next year. 

Muhammad Hakimi said he was also aware of the risks involved when carrying out activities outdoors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We have to look at the situation first, maybe many will decide to go out to exercise on Monday. So we have to be careful, choose the right spot with not too many people around to reduce the risk of infection.

"At the moment, there is no information from the National Sports Council (MSN) on when it opens. I think training at MSN will be better because outsiders cannot come in, and we have coaches to monitor the training programmes,” said the current national triple jump record holder with a leap of 16.77m.

The athlete who spent his own money to train with world indoor triple jump record holder Teddy Tamgh of France, however, will have to remain patient to begin his qualification campaign for Tokyo, as the World Athletics has postponed all qualifying championships until December.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican in a Twitter post yesterday said he had directed the MSN and the National Sports Institute (ISN) to issue detailed guidelines for athletes and coaches involved to expand their training scopes and programmes.

Meanwhile, Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) vice president Datuk Amarjit Singh thanked the Prime Minister for giving more leeway to the cycling community.

He said although the permission was more for conducting recreational cycling activities, it was still better for athletes to cycle outside than on stationary bicycles indoors.

"However, we are still awaiting the SOP (standard operating procedure) from KBS (Ministry of Youth and Sports), MSN and ISN before making any decision to start training athletes.

"Usually, a lot of people will be involved, such as cyclists, coaches, mechanics and masseuse, so we need proper guidelines and hygiene in practice. Since only outdoor activities are allowed, how about training in the velodrome, which is indoor,” he said.

With so many questions yet to be answered, coupled with the fasting month and upcoming Hari Raya celebration, Amarjit thinks June 1 would be a more plausible date for cyclists to resume training. — Bernama