August 16:
BITTER, frustrated and disillusioned. That sums up the sentiments of the group of parents and the 14 Asian Junior Championships-bound taekwondo exponents from the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS).
Although the decision by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to support the BJSS team’s participation brought some cheer to the parents, feelings of uncertainty and apprehension still prevailed.
The 14 BJSS exponents were supposed to leave for Almaty, Kazakhstan tomorrow to compete in the Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships. The meet starts on Friday.
However, their participation in the championships was in limbo as the World Taekwondo Federation, the international governing body, wanted an endorsement from the national association or the national Olympic committee.
However, there is no governing body in the country as the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) was de-registered by Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar on May 6.
But OCM president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar confirmed that a letter will be sent to the WTF stating that the OCM has no objections to the team competing in the championships.
"We hope that the WTF will accept them (the exponents) into the championships," said Tunku Imran yesterday.
But for the parents, it was hardly a guarantee.
"We are grateful to the Sports Minister (Datuk Azalina Othman Said) and the OCM for assisting our children but we still don’t know whether they will be able to compete or not," said one parent Nik Zainal Nik Manshor at a Press conference organised by the BJSS Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
ANXIOUS: Concerned parents and taekwondo exponents from the Bukit Jalil Sports School meeting its PTA chairman Dom Amy Hussain to seek clarification on the team’s participation in the Asian Junior Championships. — Pic: KHALID REDZA
"As parents, we hope this will be enough to let our children compete in the championships."
Another parent, R. Tiruvalluvan, who lost his left leg three months ago, said: "My dream was to see my son become a Malaysian sportsman. But now it looks like he may not be able to represent the country.
"He is my eldest child and was excited at the prospect of bringing honour to the country and his family. Now, I just don’t know what is going to happen.
"One third of my earning goes towards supporting his dream, so I hope he will be able to compete."
But for some parents, the bureaucracy involved in sending the team to Kazakhstan is simply to difficult to comprehend.
"Some of our children are in Form Five, and yet when they were offered a place in the school, we agreed to let them come here," said another parent.
"The officials presented a rosy picture but now we don’t even know what is happening to the sport.
"Their studies have been affected, and now it looks like their performance in the sport is as well."
Source from http://www.nst.com.my
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