KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — Most of the thousands of running events held in the country are not approved by the Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF) and the Sports Commissioner’s Office (SCO).
MAF president Datuk Karim Ibrahim said the organisers did not apply for approval because of their quest for profit although it was the only regulatory body for running events under the Sports Development Act 1997.
“The organisers are just greedy and are putting the safety of participants and the public at risk. The fees charged by the MAF for technical expertise is not high,” he told a press conference at Wisma OCM here, day.
The issue arise after three runners were injured after being hit by a car during the Klang International Marathon on Sunday.
The Selangor Amateur Athletics Association will lodge a police report against the organisers for not applying for a permit from them.
Karim said the MAF would formulate guidelines for reference by the organisers and the conditions for obtaining the permit.
“All approved running events have been uploaded onto the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) website two days ago. The public should ensure the event is recognised before joining the event.
“I urge the police and local authorities not to give permits if they did not get the approval of the MAF and the SCO.”
He also warned that action would be taken against national athletes and MAF officials involved in unapproved running events. — Bernama
