Shuttlers, sailors report for Olympic training
By Fabian Peter - June 2, 2020 @ 9:15am
THE long wait is finally over. The national training camps in Bukit Kiara and Langkawi were officially reopened yesterday to welcome athletes, under the Road To Tokyo programme, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic brought all sporting activities worldwide to a halt in March.
A total of 24 individuals (athletes, coaches and support staff), including Olympic-bound sailors Khairulnizam Afendy and Nur Shazrin Latif, arrived at the National Sailing Centre in Langkawi while the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara welcomed 16 shuttlers and 22 others (coaches and support staff.).
However, no training was conducted in both centres yesterday.
The athletes and other individuals were tested for Covid-19 and the results will only be available in a day or two.
The athletes will need to adapt to the 'new normal' when training starts as they will have to adhere to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) such as social distancing protocols, training in small groups and no sharing of equipment during their one-month stay at the centres.
Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who visited the ABM yesterday, was pleased with how things were managed.
The badminton athletes, who reported yesterday, comprised seven shuttlers, one para-shuttler and nine sparring players.
Mixed doubles Shevon Lai was down with dengue, and couldn't come.
"I am pleased with all the SOPs that have been put in place at ABM. The registration of the players and coaches went smoothly.
"This gives the Sports Ministry, the Health Ministry, and the National Security Council great confidence after giving the green light for these athletes to resume training amid the Covid-19 pandemic," said Reezal in an official statement.
The Bukit Jalil Sports Complex will only open its doors on June 8 after a thorough sanitisation exercise.
At the ABM, Reezal was joined by National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, BAM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria and coaching director Wong Choong Hann.
The divers will only report for training at the National Aquatic Centre at Bukit Jalil on June 8.