KUALA LUMPUR – The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has clarified that there is a special allocation for guest accreditation for their top officials at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
However, these accreditations, approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), are not the same as those granted to the Malaysian contingent, which includes athletes, coaches, and other support staff.
Yesterday, social media was abuzz when OCM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria was photographed sitting next to his wife and son at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena during the bronze medal playoff between Malaysia’s men’s doubles duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik and Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
Aaron and Wooi Yik went on to win the match in stunning fashion, delivering Malaysia its first medal for this Olympic campaign.
Instead of recognising the pair’s feat in successfully retaining their bronze medal from three years ago, certain quarters felt it was more pressing to question the presence of Norza’s family members in the stands.
“The whole of Malaysia needs an explanation. A badminton coach could not go to the Paris Olympics because of limited accreditation, but the president of BAM, who is also OCM president, is allowed to bring his wife and son.
“Hannah Yeoh (youth and sports minister), please answer and do not spin this,” read a post on X by user @SyedAkramin.
At the time of reporting, the post had garnered more than 150,000 views on X, 3,700 reposts, and 126 quotes.
Replies which followed the post were laden with profanities and sarcastic remarks.
When contacted by Scoop, OCM said: “The IOC allocates special accreditation cards to the president (OCM) and the secretary-general, each with accompanying guests.
“This allocation is separate from the contingent’s accreditation allocation.
“Accreditation for these individuals is also subject to various limitations, particularly access to the field of play and the athletes’ village. Above all, it doesn’t involve any government funding.”
It is important to note that apart from being OCM and BAM president, Norza is also honorary president for Badminton Asia, which means his allocation for guest accreditation is not just limited to one.
The issue of accreditation was first brought to attention when Indonesian Nova Armada, coach to independent women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei, did not make the trip to Paris because of limited accreditation.
It is understood that each contingent’s accreditation allocation varies based on the number of athletes who qualify on merit for the world’s greatest sporting event.
Jin Wei, who was aided by ABM coaching director Rexy Mainaky and women’s doubles coach Hoon Thien How during her matches, did not clear the group stages last week. – August 5, 2024
