Two months after Jefri Ngadirin became director-general of the National Sports Council (NSC), and three months after Dr P. Vellapandian was named chief executive officer of the National Sports Institute (NSI), another round of leadership changes is set to take place within Malaysia’s sporting fraternity.
It is understood that longtime sports administrators Arrifin Ghani and Suhardi Alias will be given new roles soon.
Arrifin, a former hockey international, is expected to be appointed the new Sports Commissioner. Suhardi, the current Commissioner, is likely to be named head of the Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES). The changes are anticipated to take effect in July 2025.
Arrifin previously served as NSC’s international preparations unit director before being seconded to lead the Melaka State Sports Council in 2019. He was appointed Deputy Sports Commissioner in 2020 and returned to NSC as deputy director-general in 2023.
The Sports Commissioner’s Office (SCO) has recently come under the spotlight as several athletics associations are facing governance issues.
Earlier today, officials from six affiliates of the Selangor Athletics Association handed a memorandum to an SCO officer, requesting an extraordinary general meeting. They alleged irregularities in the association’s accounts and claimed that the annual general meeting held on April 26 did not follow proper procedures.
The Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletics Association (FTKLAA) is also seeking the right to vote in the Malaysian Athletics annual general meeting on June 15. This follows the SCO’s decision to approve a name change for the national body – from the Malaysian Athletics Federation to Malaysian Athletics.
As part of the constitutional changes, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan were required to merge into one entity to represent the Federal Territories.
It is also learnt that two other state athletics bodies are facing internal conflicts and plan to seek SCO’s assistance to resolve the disputes.
Suhardi, meanwhile, appeared to have fallen out of favour with the Youth and Sports Ministry last year after speaking out against the proposal for Malaysia to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He was hauled up by the ministry and asked to explain his remarks, even though the SCO is an agency under the ministry.
At the time, Victoria, Australia, had just withdrawn as host, citing escalating costs. The projected budget had ballooned to almost A$7 billion (RM21.69 billion), nearly double the estimated economic benefits. The original cost was pegged at A$2.6 billion.
Suhardi felt the Commonwealth Games Federation’s offer of a £100 million (RM602 million) investment would be insufficient to cover the actual costs. His candid comments did not sit well with ministry officials.
After months of uncertainty, Glasgow was eventually named the host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will be held on a smaller scale.
