S. Selvam
June 22:
NATIONAL interest must be the priority and sports that have several national associations should come under one umbrella body in order to select the best athletes to represent the country.
In fact, Sports Minister Azalina Othman Said believes more associations should emulate the governance practised by the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) and Malaysian Karate Federation (Makaf), who recognise different factions as affiliates.
"As far as we (Sports Ministry) are concerned, national interest must come first. And this means we need the best athletes to represent the country," said Azalina after her official visit to the national bodybuilding squad at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
"But this would only be possible if the selection is open to all, irrespective of which faction or association they come from."
Pesaka, the umbrella body for silat, has 386 associations affiliated to it with an estimated membership of three million.
Although there are different forms of silat, they all come under Pesaka.
Makaf, while recognising State associations, also have different factions like Hayashi-Ha, Goshin-Ryu and several others as affiliates.
But in the case of taekwondo, there are three governing bodies — the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (who have been de-registered by the Sports Commissioner’s office on May 6), Malaysian International Taekwondo Federation and Global Taekwondo Federation.
However, only MTA exponents are eligible to be selected for multi-sport Games like the Sea Games, Asian Games and the Olympics. "This is merely my advice to the respective associations as I believe Malaysia should be represented by the best," added Azalina.
"After all, what is there to be afraid of. If you are good, you are good.
"And if the governing body can organise championships for all of them (factions), it would make it easier for us to fund them as well."
In recognising Pesaka’s and Makaf’s initiatives and track record, Azalina has given the two associations free office space at the National Aquatics Centre in Bukit Jalil as part of the ministry’s programme to house all national sports associations, especially those who don’t have offices or the funds to have one, under one roof.
"If Pesaka and Makaf can do it, I believe it is an idea worth considering," said Azalina.
"But it is up to the associations to decide."
Source from http://www.nst.com.my
Friday, June 24, 2005
Saturday, June 18, 2005
MALAYSIA: MTA shut down
S. Selvam
June 18:
THE Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) is no longer recognised as the governing body for taekwondo in the country by the Sports Commissioner’s office.
The association failed to appeal its revocation within the 30-day appeal period, following its de-registration by Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar on May 6.
It is the first time a national body has been de-registered since the introduction of the Sports Development Act, 1997
The MTA, an affiliate of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), practises WTF-style taekwondo, which is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"The MTA, whose registration was revoked on May 6, did not appeal in accordance with Section 21 of the Sports Development Act. Since the 30-day period for such an appeal has lapsed with effect from June 6, the revocation of MTA’s registration is hereby confirmed," said Elyas in a statement.
"Following its de-registration, this organisation is governed by Section 25 of the Sports Act, which means that its former officers are prohibited from engaging themselves in any of the activities mentioned therein, including organising committees or conducting meetings in connection with such activities."
Section 25(1) of the Sports Act states that a sports body (which is not registered) cannot continue to receive financial assistance from the Government, National Sports Council (NSC) or any other statutory bodies.
And Section 25(1c) states that such sports body shall not be a member of any body or organisation acting as or purporting to act as the governing body of any sport in Malaysia or represent or purport to represent the participants of any sport in Malaysia.
Section 25(1d) and 25(1e) further states such sports body shall not use the phrase "of Malaysia" for any of its activities and such sports body shall not organise, participate in or send participants to any sports competition or event manifesting that such undertaking by it is for, in the name of or on behalf of, Malaysia or any part of Malaysia, within or outside Malaysia.
Elyas also warned that anyone found guilty of breaching any of the provisions in the Act shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000, and in the case of a continuing offence, to a fine not exceeding RM500 per day for each day of the offence.
"They are also liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both in accordance with Section 39 of the Act." said Elyas.
"State taekwondo associations are also advised to disassociate themselves from the de-registered body and not to collaborate or co-operate with or support the body concerned in any way directly or indirectly, failing which they will run risk of having their registration suspended or revoked.
"Other sports bodies are likewise advised and should not allow themselves to be drawn into a situation by the de-registered body or its office bearers or agents that can be construed as collaborating or cooperating with or supporting the body in question in contravention of the Sports Act."
Source from http://www.nst.com.my
June 18:
THE Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) is no longer recognised as the governing body for taekwondo in the country by the Sports Commissioner’s office.
The association failed to appeal its revocation within the 30-day appeal period, following its de-registration by Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar on May 6.
It is the first time a national body has been de-registered since the introduction of the Sports Development Act, 1997
The MTA, an affiliate of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), practises WTF-style taekwondo, which is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"The MTA, whose registration was revoked on May 6, did not appeal in accordance with Section 21 of the Sports Development Act. Since the 30-day period for such an appeal has lapsed with effect from June 6, the revocation of MTA’s registration is hereby confirmed," said Elyas in a statement.
"Following its de-registration, this organisation is governed by Section 25 of the Sports Act, which means that its former officers are prohibited from engaging themselves in any of the activities mentioned therein, including organising committees or conducting meetings in connection with such activities."
Section 25(1) of the Sports Act states that a sports body (which is not registered) cannot continue to receive financial assistance from the Government, National Sports Council (NSC) or any other statutory bodies.
And Section 25(1c) states that such sports body shall not be a member of any body or organisation acting as or purporting to act as the governing body of any sport in Malaysia or represent or purport to represent the participants of any sport in Malaysia.
Section 25(1d) and 25(1e) further states such sports body shall not use the phrase "of Malaysia" for any of its activities and such sports body shall not organise, participate in or send participants to any sports competition or event manifesting that such undertaking by it is for, in the name of or on behalf of, Malaysia or any part of Malaysia, within or outside Malaysia.
Elyas also warned that anyone found guilty of breaching any of the provisions in the Act shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000, and in the case of a continuing offence, to a fine not exceeding RM500 per day for each day of the offence.
"They are also liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both in accordance with Section 39 of the Act." said Elyas.
"State taekwondo associations are also advised to disassociate themselves from the de-registered body and not to collaborate or co-operate with or support the body concerned in any way directly or indirectly, failing which they will run risk of having their registration suspended or revoked.
"Other sports bodies are likewise advised and should not allow themselves to be drawn into a situation by the de-registered body or its office bearers or agents that can be construed as collaborating or cooperating with or supporting the body in question in contravention of the Sports Act."
Source from http://www.nst.com.my
MALAYSIA: Sports Commissioner Isolates Former MTA Office-Bearers
June 17, 2005 20:58 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- The Sports Commissioner Friday warned former office-bearers of the de-registered Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) to stay away from the sport, and moved to isolate them from the state bodies and other sports associations.
Tan Sri Elyas Omar said all the office-bearers were barred from taking part in any activity concerning the sport or forming any committee related to the activity following the de-registration of the national body which became effective on June 6.
He said in a statement Friday that anyone violating the prohibition could be fined or jailed.
The Sports Development Act 1997 provides for a RM5,000 fine plus RM500 for each day that the offence persisted or six months jail or both.
Elyas advised state taekwondo associations to distance themselves from MTA as they were prohibited from assisting, cooperating with or giving support to the national body.
State bodies that disobeyed the directive could be suspended or de-registered as well, he added.
He also asked other sports bodies not to allow their officials or agents to involve themselves in situations that could be construed as providing collaboration, cooperation or support to MTA.
MTA was de-registered on May 6 by the Sports Commissioner who accused it of obstructing the development of sports in the country.
It had 30 days to file an appeal to the Youth and Sports Minister but the deadline passed without any being submitted.
-- BERNAMA
Source from http://www.bernama.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- The Sports Commissioner Friday warned former office-bearers of the de-registered Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) to stay away from the sport, and moved to isolate them from the state bodies and other sports associations.
Tan Sri Elyas Omar said all the office-bearers were barred from taking part in any activity concerning the sport or forming any committee related to the activity following the de-registration of the national body which became effective on June 6.
He said in a statement Friday that anyone violating the prohibition could be fined or jailed.
The Sports Development Act 1997 provides for a RM5,000 fine plus RM500 for each day that the offence persisted or six months jail or both.
Elyas advised state taekwondo associations to distance themselves from MTA as they were prohibited from assisting, cooperating with or giving support to the national body.
State bodies that disobeyed the directive could be suspended or de-registered as well, he added.
He also asked other sports bodies not to allow their officials or agents to involve themselves in situations that could be construed as providing collaboration, cooperation or support to MTA.
MTA was de-registered on May 6 by the Sports Commissioner who accused it of obstructing the development of sports in the country.
It had 30 days to file an appeal to the Youth and Sports Minister but the deadline passed without any being submitted.
-- BERNAMA
Source from http://www.bernama.com.my
Taekwondo Reform Picks Up Momentum
17 Jun 2005
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is speeding up its ongoing reform drive as part of efforts to maintain the Korean martial art as an Olympic sport. The sport's fate will be determined early next month at the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s 117th Session in Singapore.
The federation will hold an ad-hoc committee to review the introduction of electronic protectors on July 20 in Seoul. Several international companies, such as LsJust of Korea, ATM of Austria and Globility-Management of Germany, will participate in demonstrations of their products designed to help ensure objectiveness and fairness in taekwondo competitions.
``We aim to apply the new scoring system using electronic sensors to the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,'' WTF President Choue Chung-won told The Korea Times on Thursday.
The IOC will conduct an unprecedented secret vote on July 8 in Singapore to decide the fate of 28 sports. If a sport does not obtain more than 50 percent of the votes from 117 members, it will lose its spot in the Olympics from the 2012 games, and five other sports _ golf, karate, roller sports, seven-man rugby and squash _ will compete to be their replacements.
In an evaluation report on all 28 Olympic sports released Monday, the IOC stressed that it is essential for the WTF to ``ensure that the scoring system is well understood by the public and both the selection and impartiality of referees are unquestionable.'' Presently, judges visually determine whether a contestant's kick has stuck the opponent.
In a bid to improve the credibility of the judging system, the WTF has decided to increase the number of judges from three to four starting in this year's World Taekwondo Championships.
Hoping to make the sport more interesting and action-packed, the WTF introduced three two-minute rounds from the previous three minutes at the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships in Madrid, Spain. An extra ``sudden death round,'' in which the first player to score a point wins the match, is used in the case of a draw in regulation, unlike the old system of using a judge's decision.
Taekwondo became an official Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Games. It is already confirmed for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Currently, eight taekwondo events are included in the Olympic games, four each for men and women.
Taekwondo has a worldwide following of about 60 million practitioners and its world governing body, the WTF, has a global membership of 179 national associations. ``Taekwondo's other educational and humanitarian values are recognized and accepted around the world,'' according to Choue.
In a recent evaluation report, the IOC said about 99 percent of taekwondo tickets were sold at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games, ranking third in ticket sales among the 28 Olympic sports.
(Story from the Korea Times published on June 17, 2005)
Source from http://www.wtf.org
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is speeding up its ongoing reform drive as part of efforts to maintain the Korean martial art as an Olympic sport. The sport's fate will be determined early next month at the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s 117th Session in Singapore.
The federation will hold an ad-hoc committee to review the introduction of electronic protectors on July 20 in Seoul. Several international companies, such as LsJust of Korea, ATM of Austria and Globility-Management of Germany, will participate in demonstrations of their products designed to help ensure objectiveness and fairness in taekwondo competitions.
``We aim to apply the new scoring system using electronic sensors to the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,'' WTF President Choue Chung-won told The Korea Times on Thursday.
The IOC will conduct an unprecedented secret vote on July 8 in Singapore to decide the fate of 28 sports. If a sport does not obtain more than 50 percent of the votes from 117 members, it will lose its spot in the Olympics from the 2012 games, and five other sports _ golf, karate, roller sports, seven-man rugby and squash _ will compete to be their replacements.
In an evaluation report on all 28 Olympic sports released Monday, the IOC stressed that it is essential for the WTF to ``ensure that the scoring system is well understood by the public and both the selection and impartiality of referees are unquestionable.'' Presently, judges visually determine whether a contestant's kick has stuck the opponent.
In a bid to improve the credibility of the judging system, the WTF has decided to increase the number of judges from three to four starting in this year's World Taekwondo Championships.
Hoping to make the sport more interesting and action-packed, the WTF introduced three two-minute rounds from the previous three minutes at the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships in Madrid, Spain. An extra ``sudden death round,'' in which the first player to score a point wins the match, is used in the case of a draw in regulation, unlike the old system of using a judge's decision.
Taekwondo became an official Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Games. It is already confirmed for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Currently, eight taekwondo events are included in the Olympic games, four each for men and women.
Taekwondo has a worldwide following of about 60 million practitioners and its world governing body, the WTF, has a global membership of 179 national associations. ``Taekwondo's other educational and humanitarian values are recognized and accepted around the world,'' according to Choue.
In a recent evaluation report, the IOC said about 99 percent of taekwondo tickets were sold at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games, ranking third in ticket sales among the 28 Olympic sports.
(Story from the Korea Times published on June 17, 2005)
Source from http://www.wtf.org
Friday, June 17, 2005
MALAYSIA: Speed it up Sports Commissioner
S. Selvam
June 17:
THE pro-tem committee of the Malaysian Taekwondo Clubs Association (MTCA), an umbrella body for taekwondo clubs, has appealed to Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar to expedite their application in order for them to play an effective role in developing the sport in the country.
"Since there is no governing body for taekwondo in the country at this point in time, we have no choice but to form our own association to help the clubs," said pro-tem committee president Chee Hock Choong at a Press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA), the governing body for taekwondo under the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) system, was de-registered by Elyas on May 6.
Only WTF-sanctioned competitions are recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The association was given 30 days to appeal the revocation, which ended on June 6, but it has not exercised that option.
MTA has taken the issue to court.
"We have forwarded our application to the Sports Commissioner’s office and hope that Tan Sri Elyas will be able to approve the application as soon as possible.
"There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the sport and we hope, if approval is given, MTCA can do its part to promote and develop the sport.
According to Hock Choong, the MTCA was the result of a discussion among 30 associate members (clubs) of the de-registered MTA.
MTCA secretary Sonny Lee also clarified that the decision to form a national association of clubs was in line with Elyas’ proposal to the MTA in a dialogue on Feb 16.
In the dialogue, Elyas proposed five models of governance, including forming a governing body for clubs, all of which granted clubs voting rights and direct affiliation to the national body.
"Tan Sri Elyas’ Model 4a referred to a national body for clubs and we are merely following his proposal," said Lee.
"The MTCA is open to any club or organisation that is practising taekwondo under the WTF-system.
"However, any club or organisation that wants to be affiliated to us must be registered with the Sports Commissioner’s office first."
Source from http://www.nst.com.my
June 17:
THE pro-tem committee of the Malaysian Taekwondo Clubs Association (MTCA), an umbrella body for taekwondo clubs, has appealed to Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar to expedite their application in order for them to play an effective role in developing the sport in the country.
"Since there is no governing body for taekwondo in the country at this point in time, we have no choice but to form our own association to help the clubs," said pro-tem committee president Chee Hock Choong at a Press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA), the governing body for taekwondo under the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) system, was de-registered by Elyas on May 6.
Only WTF-sanctioned competitions are recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The association was given 30 days to appeal the revocation, which ended on June 6, but it has not exercised that option.
MTA has taken the issue to court.
"We have forwarded our application to the Sports Commissioner’s office and hope that Tan Sri Elyas will be able to approve the application as soon as possible.
"There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the sport and we hope, if approval is given, MTCA can do its part to promote and develop the sport.
According to Hock Choong, the MTCA was the result of a discussion among 30 associate members (clubs) of the de-registered MTA.
MTCA secretary Sonny Lee also clarified that the decision to form a national association of clubs was in line with Elyas’ proposal to the MTA in a dialogue on Feb 16.
In the dialogue, Elyas proposed five models of governance, including forming a governing body for clubs, all of which granted clubs voting rights and direct affiliation to the national body.
"Tan Sri Elyas’ Model 4a referred to a national body for clubs and we are merely following his proposal," said Lee.
"The MTCA is open to any club or organisation that is practising taekwondo under the WTF-system.
"However, any club or organisation that wants to be affiliated to us must be registered with the Sports Commissioner’s office first."
Source from http://www.nst.com.my
Thursday, June 16, 2005
IOC President, leaders of 2 global taekwondo bodies meet in Lausanne
04 Jun 2005
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (June 3, 2005) - Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), and Mr. Ung Chang, the North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and president of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), met at the IOC headquarters here today to exchange opinions on how to develop taekwondo.
Dr. Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, also attended the meeting. It was the third meeting for Choue and Chang, after two rounds of talks during the Athens Olympics Games in August 2004.
Both parties shared the view that there is a long way to go before full-pledged integration between the WTF and the ITF is possible; nonetheless, they stressed the importance of continued dialogue between the two global taekwondo bodies.
Prior to full-fledged WTF-ITF talks for possible taekwondo intergration, Choue and Chang shared the view that technical and administrative matters should be thoroughly and cautiously discussed over time, given the two taekwondo bodies’ differences in poomsae and competition rules.
In regard to technical and administrative matters, as well as other fundamental matters related to the possible integration of the two taekwondo bodies, Choue proposed creating a working committee comprising representatives from the WTF and the ITF. President Rogge pledged his full support for the idea.
Choue said that he would call an Executive Council Meeting of the WTF as early as possible for final decision of the concerned issues, including the proposed formation of the working committee.
Rogge expressed his strong support for the ongoing dialogue for the development of the WTF and the ITF.
***
For more information, please contact Mr. Seok-Jae Kang, director of the WTF Public Relations Division at +82-11-773-0241 (Mobile).
Source from http://www.wtf.org
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (June 3, 2005) - Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), and Mr. Ung Chang, the North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and president of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), met at the IOC headquarters here today to exchange opinions on how to develop taekwondo.
Dr. Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, also attended the meeting. It was the third meeting for Choue and Chang, after two rounds of talks during the Athens Olympics Games in August 2004.
Both parties shared the view that there is a long way to go before full-pledged integration between the WTF and the ITF is possible; nonetheless, they stressed the importance of continued dialogue between the two global taekwondo bodies.
Prior to full-fledged WTF-ITF talks for possible taekwondo intergration, Choue and Chang shared the view that technical and administrative matters should be thoroughly and cautiously discussed over time, given the two taekwondo bodies’ differences in poomsae and competition rules.
In regard to technical and administrative matters, as well as other fundamental matters related to the possible integration of the two taekwondo bodies, Choue proposed creating a working committee comprising representatives from the WTF and the ITF. President Rogge pledged his full support for the idea.
Choue said that he would call an Executive Council Meeting of the WTF as early as possible for final decision of the concerned issues, including the proposed formation of the working committee.
Rogge expressed his strong support for the ongoing dialogue for the development of the WTF and the ITF.
***
For more information, please contact Mr. Seok-Jae Kang, director of the WTF Public Relations Division at +82-11-773-0241 (Mobile).
Source from http://www.wtf.org
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
MALAYSIA: Still no appeal letter from MTA, says Azalina
BY AFTAR SINGH
Saturday June 11, 2005
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA), who were de-registered on May 6, had been given one month to appeal. But they have failed to appeal to the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said said she had not received any appeal letter from the MTA until yesterday.
She said the Sports Commissioner would make an official announcement soon about the status of the association.
Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar had de-registered the association saying the national body for taekwondo had become a “hindrance” to the development of the sport in the country.
MTA were given 30 days from May 6 to appeal. However, MTA have taken the matter to court and the hearing will be held on July 14.
Meanwhile, Azalina yesterday launched of the Larian Kecergasan-NFC (National Fitness Council)- Bata, which will be held tomorrow (Sunday) at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil.
The 2.6km run is open to all from the age of seven to 60 and will be divided into 10 categories. The top 15 finishers in each category will receive Bata shoes and T-shirts.
Source from http://www.thestar.com.my
Saturday June 11, 2005
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA), who were de-registered on May 6, had been given one month to appeal. But they have failed to appeal to the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said said she had not received any appeal letter from the MTA until yesterday.
She said the Sports Commissioner would make an official announcement soon about the status of the association.
Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar had de-registered the association saying the national body for taekwondo had become a “hindrance” to the development of the sport in the country.
MTA were given 30 days from May 6 to appeal. However, MTA have taken the matter to court and the hearing will be held on July 14.
Meanwhile, Azalina yesterday launched of the Larian Kecergasan-NFC (National Fitness Council)- Bata, which will be held tomorrow (Sunday) at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil.
The 2.6km run is open to all from the age of seven to 60 and will be divided into 10 categories. The top 15 finishers in each category will receive Bata shoes and T-shirts.
Source from http://www.thestar.com.my
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