KEPALA BATAS, March 14 — The preparation of national athletes has been affected by the cancellation and postponement of sport championships both locally and abroad following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said so far 12 Malaysian athletes have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
“It will certainly affect sport programmes especially those involved in the qualification process for the Olympics when many competitions have been cancelled,” he told reporters here today.
Reezal Merican said there are another 23 athletes who are still attempting to qualify for the Olympic Games.
However, the development has impacted the preparation of athletes all over the world as many would be peaking during the tournaments which have been postponed.
“So, they also have to make adjustments to their training programmes to gear towards the other meets but the problem is nobody knows when will the next championship be held,” he said.
He will be visiting the National Sport Council next week to obtain a briefing on the preparations of athletes.
“I will obtain the latest updates on athlete preparation before I take any action,” he said.
Meanwhile, Reezal Merican who is also Kepala Batas MP said the three national hockey players who attended the tabligh assembly in Seri Petaling Mosque, Kuala Lumpur recently had been screened at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) this morning.
Even though they were tested negative, the players were told to quarantine themselves at home for seven days.
“They did not experience any symptoms and were allowed to return home. Nonetheless, as a precaution, they have to be quarantined for a week at home before being tested again,” he said. — Bernama
