KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — The Federal Territories Sports Council (MSWP) has set a benchmark by becoming the first sports council to organise a quarantine-based training camp during the conditional movement control order (CMCO), which has been enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19.

MSWP chairman Datuk Ramlan Shahean @ Askolani said the special programme, known as the Federal Territories Athletes’ Training Camp (KLAS WiPers), began on Monday (December 14) and will end tomorrow (December 17), with athletes from Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya housed at a hotel here following the enforcement of the CMCO in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor since October 14.

He said 499 individuals, including 399 athletes and 52 coaches from 19 sports, were involved in the camp as part of preparations for the Johor Malaysia Games (Sukma), which has been postponed to 2022.

"The KLAS WiPers will help the athletes and coaches to be ready for Sukma as well as give the coaches a chance to review their training plans and conduct simulation championships on the final day (of the camp),” he said after conducting a survey of the training camp here today.

While all the athletes stay at the same hotel, they train at different venues. For example, the swimming and aquatics training will be held at the Cheras Swimming Complex while the training for Muay Thai, boxing, weightlifting, eSports, karate and pencak silat will be held at the hotel.

 "All the athletes and coaches are placed in groups according to sports and are not allowed to go out to meet anyone throughout the duration of the programme. Special facilities and transportation have also been arranged for them,” he said.

He said that apart from complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) stipulated by the National Security Council (MKN), the camp also adhered to the SOP drafted by the MSWP, which had been approved by the Federal Territories Crisis Management Centre (CMC).

On the RM40 million MSWP Sports Complex to be built in Precint 13 in Putrajaya, he said they had submitted the plan to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and are awaiting approval after obtaining land from the Putrajaya Corporation.

Meawhile, MSWP director Dr Hasnul Faizal Hushin Amri is confident that the age limit for the 2022 Johor Sukma would be raised from 21 years old to 23 years old after most of the states agreed to the matter during a recent virtual meeting with Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

However, a final decision would be made after a review by the Sukma technical committee.

Hasnul Faizal also said that the effectiveness of the KLAS WiPers would be reviewed so that future training programmes could be drafted should the Covid-19 pandemic continues for a longer period, apart from waiting for other sports facilities to be reopened for the use of athletes.

He said that for now, athletes from Labuan, the third member of MSWP, are holding simulation training based on the same concept as in Kuala Lumpur due to constraints in terms of flights and SOP to train in the capital. — Bernama