Additional measures will be taken to ensure Malaysian shuttlers and other athletes competing in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham remain safe from Covid-19.
This comes as infections surged in the United Kingdom, with a ZOE Covid study showing an average of 351,000 people are infected with Covid-19 daily.
BA of Malaysia (BAM) para-badminton, anti-doping, and medical committee chairman, Dr Naharuddin Hashim, said among the steps are to ensure all athletes were fully vaccinated and had received their booster shots.
“Our shuttlers have also been told to do their own self tests, and to avoid places with massive crowds, or areas where there’s a risk of infection,” said Dr Naharuddin.
“We’ve spoken to some people about these additional steps and they are being taken seriously. It’s all about prevention.
“Yes, the other athletes (from the other sports) should also do the same.”
The Malaysian contingent will be represented by 104 athletes, with the badminton players being among the podium finishers. The Games will begin on July 28.
The UK government has not ruled out the possibility of introducing certain restrictions if the huge number of cases starts to put a strain on its healthcare system.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with (BAM) president Tan Sri Norza (Zakaria) regarding this, and with him being the Olympic Council of Malaysia president, I’m sure he would expect the other athletes to do the same.”
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games organising committee had announced mandatory pre- and post-arrival polymerase chain reaction tests for all athletes and officials. This is in addition to the other steps that would be taken to minimise the risk of infection.
National Sports Institute chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Ramli said the contingent will abide by the rules set by the organiser.
“It’s not new to us. We’ve seen strict measures adopted at the Tokyo Olympics and the organiser there had set a benchmark,” said Ahmad Faedzal.
“Our athletes have been travelling to other competitions in recent times, and they are used to the restrictions imposed by the organisers.
“We will also ensure that all our athletes are fully vaccinated and have received their booster shots,” he added.
