KUALA LUMPUR – For the past few weeks, an intense and escalating rift has unfolded between the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) and national para swimmer Zy Lee Kher, captivating the nation’s sports scene.
The situation has now reached a boiling point, compelling the intervention of the Sports Dispute Committee in a desperate attempt to mediate and bring some semblance of resolution to this deeply entrenched and highly publicised dispute.
The issue began with the 17-year-old Zy being omitted by PCM from this year’s Paris Paralympics, despite earning a spot on merit.
This decision 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.
PCM and Prepma’s criteria focus on the athlete’s record time, potential to win medals, the number of events the national contingent would participate in, and extraordinary achievements, in which Zy lags behind compared to his teammates who were selected for the multisport event.
With the Sports Dispute Committee stepping in based on Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s instructions, it’s believed that a total of three meetings will take place between representatives of PCM and Walter to discuss Zy’s omission from Paris.
The meetings, which are set to be chaired by Datuk Low Beng Choo, former Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary-general, will be conducted in accordance with Sections 23, 24, and 25 of the Sports Development Act (SDA) 1997.
According to Sections 23 of the SDA, every sports body shall resolve any dispute arising among its members or with its committee or governing body in accordance with the internal procedures prescribed in the regulations.
In this case, PCM has to explain to the Sports Dispute Committee and Walter how efficient the criteria and probabilities used by the governing body in selecting the athletes for Paris were, while Walter has to explain the problems he has with PCM’s explanations.
Upon listening to and reviewing both sides of the story, the Sports Dispute Committee will submit their report to the sports minister for review and final decision.
If PCM is found guilty of ruining Zy’s chances of heading to Paris, actions may be taken against the national sports body according to Section 25 of the SDA, which could include PCM facing the risk of deregistration by the Sports Commissioner’s Office.
PCM may also risk losing funding from the government, the National Sports Council, or any statutory body, which also includes the athletes in the governing body not being able to participate or send any athletes to compete under the name of Malaysia.
Though the actions to be taken against Walter remain unclear, it’s believed that he may face consequences for tarnishing the nation’s image by stirring up the issue with the International Paralympic Council.
However, the exact date of the decision is yet to be determined, and it’s understood that it may take weeks or months for the Sports Dispute Committee to finalise the decision involving both PCM and Walter.
According to Section 24 of the SDA, any member of a sports body aggrieved by the decision of the Sports Dispute Committee may, within 21 days after the decision has been communicated, appeal to the sports minister.
As we await the outcome of the decision, it’s evident that Zy is still the victim of the circumstances, with his future in the sport hanging in the balance.
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 these slots to Nur Syaiful Zulkafli and Imaan Aiman Redzuan.
Zy was sent for a bipartite slot, but his application was unsuccessful.
According to both PCM and Prepma, Imaan has a 96.3% probability of winning a medal based on personal best (PB) times, while Syaiful has 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 list of athletes competing in Paris by next week.
This year’s Paralympics are scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 8. – August 7, 2024
