KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — Komalam Shelly’s shock exclusion from the 4x100m women’s relay squad seems set in stone, despite it being so close to the SEA Games.
Cited for “disciplinary issues,” the 29-year-old was said to be a disruptive force in the team and Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) had no choice but to drop her.
SEA Games chef de mission Datuk Marina Chin was on a site visit to the lawn bowls and netball venues yesterday morning and though unable to reveal much, had this to say.
“According to MAF, there’s been a breach of discipline,” said the former Bukit Jalil Sports School principal.
“I’m not able to comment on what the offence was but if it’s disruptive to the entire team, then the association can take action,” Marina.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a potential gold medallist. If you can’t follow guidelines and the association decided to do something about it, then we go along with the association,” said Marina on the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) decision to drop Komalam.
The quartet of Komalam, Shereen Samson Vellabouy, Siti Fatima Mohammad and Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli clocked 45.19s at the Thailand Open in Bangkok on June 15, effectively erasing the national record of 45.32s set at the Singapore Open in 2016.
Members of MAF were to meet yesterday morning at the National Sports Council to deliberate on Komalam’s fate, but it seems the decision has been cast in stone, a “mandatory penalty” for breach of discipline — she will not see the daylight of the SEA Games.
Team manager Datuk Salim Parlan spoke to Stadium Astro yesterday and said: “Her exclusion is based on keeping the harmony (intact) within the team. For now, MAF is dropping her from the SEA Games and she has made an appeal on the decision.”
He too would not divulge the reasons for Komalam’s dismissal.
