KUALA LUMPUR: Sports Commissioner Arrifin Ghani will write to Malaysia Athletics (MA) to find out why it is not sanctioning events organised by the Federal Territories Athletics Association (FTAA).
This follows a complaint from FTAA, one of the country’s most active athletics bodies, which recently organised the Junior All-Comers meet at the Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang, Selangor that attracted 1,298 athletes aged 16 to 21.
That was the second FTAA event that failed to receive sanction from MA. Its Rakan Muda development championships in September last year, which attracted 1,613 athletes, and a third event – a pre-Malaysia Games meet in May – have yet to receive approval from the governing body.
“I will write to MA to find out what the issue is,” said Arrifin.
“Previously, there were three entities – Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan athletics associations – but they have since merged into one body under the new MA constitution.
“If they have followed the requirements, there is no reason for MA not to sanction their events.”
Arrifin said it was disheartening that grassroots programmes were not being recognised, as they represent the future of the sport.
“Both events attracted over 1,000 juniors. We should be encouraging that sort of involvement,” he said.
“The sad part is, without sanction from MA, records set at these events cannot be recognised. That can be disheartening for the athletes. We should not punish young athletes for mistakes not of their own making.”
Separately, Arrifin said he had held discussions with MA president Datuk Karim Ibrahim to determine the legitimacy of his presidency.
Questions have been raised about Karim’s eligibility to hold office at either national or state level following his removal from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council in 2018.
Karim returned as MA president on June 15, 2025, after defeating Datuk Wira Mark Ling 25-14.
He has denied being banned for life by the IAAF – now known as World Athletics.
“I had a short discussion with Karim. We will have a more formal meeting soon to resolve the issue,” Arrifin added.
Image: FTAA
