10 Sabah karatekas attending programme
Kota Kinabalu:
Ten karatekas from the State are currently taking part in the Malaysian Karate Academy Series 1 programme which started yesterday (Friday) at the Kompleks MSN Saujana Asahan in Melaka.
The one-week programme is organised by the Talent Development Division, National Sports Council (NSC) through the talent branch in collaboration with the Malaysian Karate Association (Makaf).
Advertisement
Its aim is to gather the best athletes from each state in the country and then provide an opportunity for them and the coaches to attend intensive training sessions that will be conducted by national coaches.
It also serves as a medium for national coaches to identify talents that can be promoted to a higher level.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Each state was allowed to nominate six names (3 males, 3 females) aged 13 to 16 years for the Kumite event and four (2 males, 2 females) aged 13 to 15 years for the Kata event with two coaches (one for each event) under the State runner-up and talent programme.
The athletes selected by Sabah Karate Association (SKA) are Chrisbella Wong Wei San, Danish Rayyan Rajis, Mohd Afiq Hazriq Sedry and Destiny Denise Pasqual in Kata, and Amirah Syahindah Azkan, Lim Leyca, Arthur Braxton Eusebius, Evanno Wee Elwi, Al-Zovainz Zurizal, Leonard Vresley Ajen in kumite, while the coaches are Clevelence Carlos and Roney Boy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
MNCF: Cycling is not a rich man's sport, reconsider SST
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) hopes the government will reconsider its decision to impose a 10 per cent tax on racing bikes under the expanded Sales and Service Tax (SST) scheme. MNCF secretary Arif Astaman said the move, which came into effect July 1, will affect development costs in the sport at both the grassroots and high-performance levels. Racing bikes - better known as road bikes - were previously exempted from SST. "There is an unfair perception that cycling is a rich man's sport which in reality is far from the truth," said Arif when contacted today (July 5). "None of the riders in our programmes are from the T5 or T10 (income bracket) families. Those who the authorities perceive to be rich are recreational riders who ride their RM50,000 to RM60,000 super bikes to Pangsun on the weekends. "As soon as the (tax) announcement was made we, the federation, wrote a letter to the Finance Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), asking for the government to reconsider it. "And if a reversal or reduction in tax is not possible, we have asked the government to consider giving us the power to issue end user certificates (for purpose of tax exemption) for riders under national and state development programmes. "End user certificates have already been implemented by various government agencies and we ask that this power be extended to us as well. "MNCF and the National Sports Council should have the authority to certify riders who are eligible for exemption from the tax when there is a need to buy new bikes for them. "Otherwise, this new tax would cause a significant increase in costs for us to run programmes when in fact, these programmes are partly funded by the government itself. "To add to that, there are no local Malaysian manufacturers or brands which produce racing bikes who need to be protected, such as in the automotive industry." Arif added that the SST levied on racing bikes could cause parents to direct their children to other, more affordable, sports. "Long before this SST on road bikes, other types of bikes such as BMX, folding and mountain bikes as well as items such as helmets, cycling shoes and spare parts have been charged a 15 per cent sales tax," said Arif. "This is less than ideal when we are trying to advocate cycling for all and is something we have asked customs to reconsider for a while now." Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) team principal Sayuti Zahit believes taxation on bikes should be implemented using a tiered system. "I believe bikes under RM10,000, which for the most part only gets you an entry level road bike, should not be taxed," said Sayuti when contacted today (July 5). "The tax should be gradually increased for bikes above that, or perhaps only start taxing once bikes are above RM30,000. "Otherwise, this would place a huge burden on parents who may already be struggling to pay RM3,000 to RM5,000 for a bike for their 13-year-olds who are only starting to get involved in junior programmes." Sayuti admitted that the SST on racing bikes is likely to hit MPC, a UCI continental road racing team, hard. "High-end racing bikes cost a lot of money, especially time trial bikes. A time trial bike that would normally cost us RM70,000 would now cost us RM77,000, that is a lot for us," he said. "Although we do have a sponsorship deal with bike manufacturers, we only get a discount and do not get our bikes for free." While they may sound like simple sports to the uninitiated, road and track cycling racing are both technologically advanced disciplines. A huge emphasis is placed on aerodynamics, structural rigidity, weight saving as well as drivetrain efficiency when producing racing bikes. A decent bike for professional road racing costs in the region of RM40,000 to RM60,000. Time trial bikes cost even more while at the top end are track racing bikes. The Vorteq WX-R track bikes used by the national squad at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics cost RM20.5 million to develop over the two Olympic cycles and was listed at RM300,000 retail, per bike.
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Lee Zii Jia's eerie Instagram sketches spark concern, but NSC says no cause for concern yet
KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — The National Sports Council (NSC) says there is nothing to worry about the 'strange' actions of professional singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia, which raised questions after he shared several mysterious sketches on social media yesterday. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the council as well as Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh had contacted Lee Zii Jia's team (Team LZJ) to ascertain why the player is behaving in such a startling manner. The mysterious posts (apparently of disturbing images including a stitched-up figure holding a blood-stained needle) by Zii Jia have now attracted more than 131,000 likes and over 3,000 comments, raising speculation about their meaning. Some commenters alleged the 27-year-old may be facing personal or mental health issues or an internal crisis. 'They (Team LZJ) informed that there is nothing to worry about Zii Jia. Maybe Zii Jia, out of curiosity or interest in that kind of art, posted the pictures,' Jefri said. 'However, we are always open to help if his team needs support from NSC or the National Sports Institute (ISN),' he added during the 2025 Athletes' Day programme at Bukit Jalil National Stadium today. Jefri also dismissed claims that the Kedah-born athlete is suffering from depression and insisted the NSC will continue to maintain communication with Team LZJ. 'His team and friends also do not see any indication that he has any mental or personal problems. In today's generation, they might like that kind of art, right? So, let him express himself,' he said. Zii Jia, currently ranked 27th in the world, is expected to return to action at the Japan Open, which takes place from 15 to 20 July. His ranking slipped outside the world's top 20, having only played in two tournaments this year after injuring his right ankle at the World Tour Finals in December. — Bernama
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
No cause for alarm over Zii Jia, says NSC chief
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Sports Council (NSC) says there is nothing to worry about the 'strange' actions of professional singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia, which raised questions after he shared several mysterious sketches on social media yesterday. NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the council as well as Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh had contacted Lee Zii Jia's team (Team LZJ) to ascertain why the player is behaving in such a startling manner. The mysterious posts (apparently of disturbing images including a stitched-up figure holding a blood-stained needle) by Zii Jia has now attracted more than 131,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments, thus raising speculation about the meaning behind his sharing, including allegations that the 27-year-old may be facing personal or mental health problems or an internal crisis. 'They (Team LZJ) informed that there is nothing to worry about Zii Jia. Maybe Zii Jia out of curiosity and so on, posted the pictures, or he is interested in that kind of art. 'However, we are always open to help if his team needs help from NSC or the National Sports Institute (ISN),' Jefri said at the 2025 Athletes' Day programme held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here today. Jeffri at the same time rejected claims by some parties that the Kedah-born athlete is suffering from depression, besides insisting that NSC would continue to communicate with Team LZJ. 'His team and friends also do not see any indication that he has any mental or personal problems. 'In today's generation, they might like that kind of art, right? So, let him express himself,' he said. Zii Jia, currently ranked 27th in the world, is expected to return to action at the Japan Open, which will take place from July 15-20. His ranking slipped outside the world's top 20, having only played in two tournaments this year after injuring his right ankle at the World Tour Finals in December.
