KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 ― World Sailing said it will investigate the withdrawal of Israeli windsurfers from the Youth Sailing World Championships in Langkawi, Kedah, who claimed they did not receive visas to enter Malaysia.
The world governing body for sailing also said it expected the organising authority of its events to allow sailors from all countries to compete on an equal basis, pointing out that this expectation was made clear in the bid process and set out in contracts of its events.
“A member of the World Sailing Executive is on route to Malaysia to investigate this issue and is seeking clarification from the Malaysian Organising Authority,” World Sailing said in a statement yesterday.
“As with all diplomatic issues, this is quite a delicate matter. World Sailing is aware of the current commentary in the public arena, and have reason to believe that some of the comments may not be accurate or possibly based on misunderstandings,” it added.
The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday the chairman of the Israel Sailing Association, Gili Amir, as saying that Yoav Omer and Noy Drihan would not be taking part in the international surfing competition here yesterday, as both athletes had yet to receive their visas 24 hours before their scheduled departure.
Amir also reportedly accused Malaysia of putting “unacceptable” demands on Israel by forbidding their athletes from carrying their country’s flag or from wearing any symbol on their attire and surfboards to show their country of origin.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told Malay Mail Online Friday that Malaysia accepted the withdrawal of the two Israeli athletes from the Youth Sailing World Championships, saying that Putrajaya was guided by the “existing policy of the Malaysian government” as it was a “diplomatic issue”.
Malaysia does not formally recognise Israel as a country, and Israeli passport holders may not be admitted into the country without express written permission from the Malaysian government.
