KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has made it clear that the issue surrounding national para swimmer Zy Lee Kher is now being looked at by the Sports Dispute Committee.
The minister’s response comes after the 17-year-old was omitted by the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) from this year’s Paris Paralympics, despite earning a spot for the multisport event on merit.
“I have spoken to Zy online, and I have requested that the associations also meet Zy to explain their stance to him. This matter is now being looked at by the Sports Dispute Committee,” said Hannah in a short message to Scoop.
Recently, the decision to omit Zy has sparked a feud between Zy’s father, Walter Lee, an executive member of the Malaysian Para Swimming Association (Prepma), and PCM president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, with each blaming and defending the other for their actions.
Walter criticised PCM and Prepma, claiming that their objectives are not aligned with their strategies, leading to his son being forced to compete for a bipartite slot despite having a higher world ranking.
In contrast, Megat and Prepma stated that the selection process for Paris was conducted transparently and without any vested interests. The governing body’s selection criteria focused on record times, potential to win medals, the number of events the national contingent would participate in, and extraordinary achievements.
Megat also said that severe actions would be taken against Walter for tarnishing the image of PCM and Prepma. Punishments will also be taken against Zy for breaching the athletes’ code of conduct set by the National Sports Council (NSC) for making an emotional plea for help to Hannah Yeoh without consulting PCM.
When met at a press conference today, Walter said reaching out to the Sports Dispute Committee, chaired by Datuk Low Beng Choo, through the sports minister and contacting the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are his final avenues to seek justice for his son.
“I have been trying to reach out to all the parties involved in Zy’s decision, and I have yet to receive any updates from any of them. I have written a formal letter stating the situation and filed a complaint to the dispute committee, PCM, and Hannah, and everything is done according to protocol.
“This is my last resort and plea as a father and citizen, which is why I’m coming to all of you,” Walter said today during the press conference.
Walter also firmly refuted allegations from certain individuals that he is making an issue because he received monetary sponsorship in cash and kind, which he is now unable to repay since his son Zy cannot compete in the Paris Paralympics.
“Zy has no sponsorships, and if I may, this is more about the transparency issue, and it’s nothing personal; it’s about fair play on how these associations choose the athletes to send to Paris,” Walter added.
For the record, the IPC only allows two swimming participants from each national Paralympic Council.
Malaysia has two slots allocated by World Para Swimming (WPS) for the para-swimming event in Paris, and Prepma has given the slots to Nur Syaiful Zulkafli and Imaan Aiman Redzuan.
Zy was sent for a bipartite slot, but his application for the slot was unsuccessful.
According to both PCM and Prepma, the highest probability of winning a medal was held by Imaan, with 96.3% based on personal best (PB) times.
Syaiful had a 95.5% probability for the Men’s SB4 100m breaststroke event.
In contrast, Zy’s probabilities were significantly lower, placing him third in the selection ranking.
PCM is expected to send the final athletes’ list that will be competing in Paris by August 2.
This year’s Paralympics are scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 8. – July 31, 2024
