COVID-19: MAF proposes more local meets
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 -- The Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) is proposing to increase the number of locaI meets as an alternative for national athletes to remain competitive.
MAF deputy president, Datuk Mumtaz Jaafar said the move was to ensure the performance of national athletes remains at top level in the mission to vie for slots in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
She however said the proposal was still at the initial stage and would be holding detailed discussions with MAF president Datuk S M Muthu and coaches tomorrow.
“If we have no choice, I am proposing local tournaments rather than risking our athletes abroad in the current situation. But we have to be prepared to raise the performance of our athletes,” she said when met by Bernama TV here today.
Earlier, the National Sports Council (NSC) decided to ban national athletes from participating in championships or training in China, South Korea, Iran, Japan and Italy following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Meanwhile, Mumtaz confirmed national athletes would not be participating in an athletics meet in Australia at the end of March as a precaution following the spread of the virus.
-- BERNAMA
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