Olympic controversies: Hannah Yeoh not 'hands on' - Former Youth and Sports deputy minister

SHAH ALAM - Former Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has blamed current Minister Hannah Yeoh for not being 'hands-on' in her duties.

He claimed that Yeoh should be addressing all controversial issues surrounding the ministry.

Since the onset of the Paris 2024 Olympics in June, the Youth and Sports Ministry has faced intense scrutiny due to a series of controversies.

The first issue arose over the poorly designed official attire for Malaysian Olympians, accompanied by underwhelming presentations and budgetary constraints cited by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).

The public outrage was further fueled by comparisons with other nations' polished, sponsor-backed uniforms.

The situation worsened when it was revealed that Goh Jin Wei’s coach, Nova Armada, was unable to attend the Paris Olympics due to a shortage of accreditation cards.

National men's badminton player Lee Zii Jia, who secured a bronze medal, had to self-fund his support staff's trip after failing to secure additional passes through the OCM.

Adding to the discontent, OCM President Tan Sri Norza Zakaria’s televised appearance with his family in Paris was met with widespread criticism despite the accreditation issues faced by athletes.

Netizens expressed frustration over perceived misplaced priorities, and the responsibility for these controversies has increasingly fallen on Yeoh.

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal highlighted that managing sports associations in Malaysia is challenging due to internal politics, not excessive involvement by politicians.

He suggested that the Youth and Sports Ministry has limited power over these associations, whose leaders are typically elected from within.

“The Youth and Sports Ministry has limited power over these associations, as their presidents and other positions are typically elected from within the association.

“It might be worth considering proposing a new law to the Dewan Rakyat to standardise sports development and ensure the right people are elected to lead.

“Most sports in Malaysia today suffer from issues within their associations, lacking synergy and making investments in sports questionable.

"Despite significant spending on the Olympics and sports like football, the returns are questionable. This indicates a problem within our sports ecosystem,” he told Sinar Daily when contacted today.

He acknowledged that these issues are not new and have been inherited by Yeoh, who faces the brunt of these challenges.

“While leadership skills are crucial, if she cannot manage the entrenched powers within the sports industry, she will continue to face criticism.

“As Youth and Sports Minister, she can't meddle or intervene in the internal affairs of the OCM.

"Her powers are limited to withholding and managing the disbursement of funds to OCM or other sporting associations, although she can offer advice.

“If Norza broke any rules, appropriate action should be taken against him, though I doubt that is the case.

"As the President of OCM, he likely has his allocations. If this is seen as a significant issue, it should be brought to Parliament to ban officials from bringing their families to sporting events,” he added.

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal also said that if blame is to be assigned for these controversies and issues, then yes, Hannah Yeoh bears responsibility.

“As Youth and Sports Minister, she has the final say. As Khairy Jamaluddin said on his podcast recently, and from my experience as a former deputy minister of Youth and Sports, I know this to be true that the Youth and Sports Minister, has the final say.

“My former minister, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, was very meticulous and hands-on in his role.

“In contrast, it seems Yeoh is not handling her responsibilities as effectively, I think she is not ‘hands on’.

"For example, she allowed others to decide on the nation’s controversial Olympic attire, and addressed issues only after public criticism.

“This reactive approach did not occur under previous Youth and Sports Ministers.

"If she had been more proactive and ‘hands on’, many of these problems could have been avoided,” he said.