KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — The Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) and the National Sports Council (NSC) have agreed to disband the national weightlifting squad following the recent doping case involving two national lifters.
MWF president Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the agreement was achieved through the NSC working committee meeting on September 20 and that all the four coaches and 13 lifters involved would have their contracts terminated effective November 1.
He said the decision was to allow the federation to search for potential athletes to be absorbed into the new squad in an effort to improve the image of the MWF and the sport in the country.
“The future national squad will focus on qualifying for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and presenting the country with medals.
“A championship to select athletes to the national team will be held in October. The best lifters as well as those capable of winning medals at the Commonwealth Games will be roped into the new squad,” he told a media conference today.
Earlier this month, the MWF confirmed that the two national athletes reported to have tested positive for using banned substances were their weightlifters.
Meanwhile, Ayub also confirmed that apart from 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Azroy Hazalwafie Izhar Ahmad, the other lifter who tested positive was Muhammad Ikram Haikal Muhammad Zuari, who had just been roped into the national squad.
“This is what we regret and are disappointed with, because he has just been roped in. In fact, he is still young and is already involved in such a case,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Ayub said he was optimistic that Malaysian would be able to repeat the two-gold feat they achieved at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Australia although they will have to form a new squad.
He said that an ad hoc team comprising four lifters would be formed in a bid to collect as many qualifying points as possible for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham through a series of qualifiers to be held at the end of the year.
Three of the weightlifters are Muhamad Aznil Bidin, Muhammad Aniq Kasdan and Muhammad Erry Hidayat Muhammad Hidayat while the fourth has yet to be decided.
Ayub said all three names had been registered way before the decision to disband the national squad was made as it was part of the plan ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“So, although we have disbanded (the national squad), the lifters who have been registered and with the potential to be taken to the 2022 Commonwealth Games will be with the ad hoc squad for a period of one month until we form the new team,” he said. — Bernama
