KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Pickleball Association (MPA) will know the outcome of its appeal next week after being suspended by the Sports Commissioner’s Office (SCO) over governance issues.
Sports Commissioner Arrifin Ghani said MPA submitted its appeal to the Youth and Sports Ministry, which forwarded the letter and relevant documents to his office last Thursday for review.
“The outcome will depend on whether the association has satisfactorily addressed the governance concerns previously raised,” said Arrifin.
“If everything is in order, we will lift the suspension. However, if we find any irregularities, we may ask them to reconvene a new annual general meeting (AGM) so that they can start afresh.”
If a new AGM is held, officers from the Sports Commissioner’s Office will be present as observers.
Arrifin stressed that deregistration remains the last resort.
“That is not something we would like to do. As I have said previously, it is the final option,” he said.
MPA was suspended on Feb 27 under the Sports Development Act 1997 after the SCO cited multiple governance issues, including alleged breaches of its constitution, irregular leadership succession, and concerns over past annual general meetings that did not meet quorum requirements.
The association was given 30 days to explain why it should not be deregistered.
However, the process was complicated after it emerged that the suspension letter had been held at a post office in Miri, delaying its receipt by MPA. The SCO subsequently granted the association additional time to respond.
No reason was given for the delay.
MPA has maintained that it has complied with all directives issued by the SCO, including holding a remedial AGM on Jan 13, which it said resulted in the election of a new executive committee in line with requirements.
The association also disputed the grounds for suspension, insisting it had taken the necessary corrective steps to address governance concerns.
The Sports Commissioner’s Office, however, has maintained that the national body did not fully comply with its directives, leading to the suspension.
Despite the ongoing dispute, the Sports Commissioner’s Office has reiterated that MPA remains the country’s recognised national body for pickleball unless it is deregistered.
Arrifin added that the priority is to ensure proper governance within the association.
“At the end of the day, I want what is good for the sport. I want MPA to remain the national body for pickleball, but they must follow their constitution,” he said.
Twentytwo13 has reached out to MPA’s president, Delima Ibrahim, who responded that she was on the road and unable to comment.
