Malaysian Karate Exponents-Five Gold

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s percentage of gold medals won in the last five SEA Games has seen a marked improvement, averaging 10 to 15 per cent of the medals at stake, compared with just 8 per cent before 2000.

FIVE-GOLD OUTING: Malaysian karate exponents with their gold medals at Chao Anouvong Gymnasium in Vientiane during the 25th Laos SEA Games, in this Dec 12, 2009 file photo. — Bernama photo

A report released by Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) said Malaysia’s best haul was in the 2001 SEA Games, when Malaysia were the hosts and the percentage of gold medals won was 28.3 per cent or 111 of the 392 gold medals offered. In the 2003 Vietnam SEA Games, Malaysia collected 9.7 per cent of the gold medals or 43 of the 444 offered but that increased to 13.7 per cent at the 2005 Manila SEA Games with 61 golds from 444 offered.

The Malaysian contingent, further improved on the achievement during the 2007 Korat SEA Games with 14.2 per cent or 68 of the 477 offered by host Thailand. The recent SEA Games hosted by Laos last December, saw Malaysia achieve 10.8 per cent or 40 gold medals from the 372 total offered. According to OCM honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, Malaysia’s performance in the SEA Games had improved over the last decade.

Since the SEAP Games was expanded to be the SEA Games, Malaysia’s percentage of gold medals won has risen from an average of below 10 per cent from 1977 to 1997 (7.11 per cent in 1981 and 7.66 per cent in 1983), to an average of above 10 per cent since then.
This was the legacy from hosting the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, he said.
“Many intensive programmes were implemented in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games and that had helped improve the performances of athletes in the SEA Games,” he told Bernama here yesterday.

Sieh added that the impact of the Commonwealth Games programmes was evident during the 2001 SEA Games hosted by Malaysia, since 111 gold medals were won, en route to clinching the overall champions title. However, Sieh warned that Malaysia must be careful with the emergence of Singapore and Vietnam.

Singapore, who started their surge since 2000 by collecting 22 (5.6 per cent) of the 392 gold medals in Kuala Lumpur (2001), improved on that figure significantly in Laos by accumulating 33 gold medals (8.9 per cent) from the 372 at stake, he said.

Vietnam have shown great progress since hosting the 2003 SEA Games, when they finished in first position and since then Vietnam have finished in second place once (2009) and in third place twice (2005 and 2007). Indonesia, the powerhouses of the SEA Games in the 1980s and 1990s, have suffered a decline in the last five SEA Games, but as the hosts of the 26th SEA Games in 2011, Indonesia were expected to bounce back, he said.

In terms of percentage of gold medals won, Thailand have been consistently scoring over 20 per cent for the last five SEA Games, with the highest at 38.1 per cent at the 2007 SEA Games, when Thailand were the hosts. — Bernama

Malaysia fourth biggest contingent in Laos

December 5, 2009, Saturday
VIENTIANE: Malaysia is sending 469 athletes and officials to the 25th SEA Games here, making it the fourth biggest contingent in the biennial meet which officially opens on Dec 9.According to the Games organising statistics, Malaysia is sending 348 athletes and 121 officials to the Games.

MALAYSIA BOLEH!: Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Datuk Wee Jeck Seng (centre) with the Malaysian Laos SEA Games contingent after the Jalur Gemilang presentation in Putrajaya.

Except for shuttlecock juggling, muay thai, fin swimming and wrestling, Malaysia will take part in another 21 sports offered in Vientiane. The sports are athletics, aquatics, archery, badminton, snooker & billiards, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karate, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wushu, silat and petanque. The 2007 SEA Games defending champion Thailand, who is determined to defend its crown, is sending an 842-strong contingent, comprising 550 athletes and 292 officials, making it the biggest team in the Games.

Second is host Laos with 743 contingent members (482 athletes and 261 officials), followed by Vietnam (671), Malaysia, Indonesia (465), Philippines (413), Myanmar (400), Singapore (392), Cambodia (204), Brunei (79) and Timor Leste (77). The smallest contingents are Brunei and Timor Leste with 30 and 37 athletes respectively. Brunei will contest in six sports and Timor Leste, seven.

A total of 4,869 athletes, who will vie for 370 gold, 370 silver and 539 bronze medals, with athletics being the most popular sports with the participation of 288 athletes, followed by football (280), shooting (169), sepak takraw (167), swimming (140), karate (130), cycling (116), archery (114), badminton (114) and judo (101).

Shuttlecock juggling, which is popular among the Indochina nations, received the lowest participation among the 25 sports offered here. It recorded 22 participants from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. — Bernama

Shito-Ryu VS Tae Kwon Do

My son Alvin 12 years old is testing his skill on mawashi geri.. He got his red and black belt last year in Tae Kwon Do

Asahi Karate Goes Rural in Serian, Sarawak

By Sama Lyne
SERIAN: Asahi Karate-do Club is promoting karate-do among students in rural schools by working closely with Youth and Sports Ministry and National Sports Council (Majlis Sukan Negara).Club president Hussin Osman revealed this at a karate-do exhibition and demonstration at SK Parun Suan on Thursday. The club also held a demonstration at St Dominic Pichin on Tuesday. “A pilot project is ongoing whereby a karate-do club is being set up in selected schools in Serian District,” Hussin said.

Adopted under this programme are primary schools St Dominic Pichin, St John Taee, SK Parun Suan, SK Lobang Batu, SK Jude Bunan Gega and SK Balai Ringin and secondary schools SMK Taee, SMK Tebakang and SMK Balai Ringin. Hussin revealed the club took part in a World Cup and Training Camp from July 19-26 where Malaysia beat Russia for the first time to emerge champions with 13 gold, 16 silver and 26 bronze medals against the Russians’ 13-10-7 haul.
Of Malaysia’s tally, Sarawak contributed one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. This was way behind other states like Sabah, Labuan, Penang and Selangor.

Asked why karate-do was going rural, Hussin said it was to give students there the opportunity to take up the sport. “The club wants to train up Olympic medallists and is starting with primary schools where seven-year-olds are targeted so that by the time they reach Form 6, they would be established in the sport.” According to him, beginners start with white belt progressing to yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown and finally, black.

The first Dan black belt is equivalent to a diploma, the third Dan, degree and the fourth Dan, masters. After the third Dan, an exponent has to pay royalty to the parent body, International Karate-do Club, headed by Tommy Morris and is allowed to teach karate anywhere in the world.
The minimum age to get a black belt is 15 years old. Hussin said instructors were sent to schools and students paid a nominal monthly subscription fee and got their uniforms at a subsidised price.

The club has an independent constitution, so it can send competitors direct to the World Cup since its president Hussin holds a fourth Dan black belt and is a member of International Karate-do Club. The club has participated in two World Cups held in Italy and Kuching.
During the last World Cup, Morris said he was very pleased with the club’s set-up and organising skills.

Asahi Karate-do Club Kuching was registered on February 21, 2007 and started with 20 members. Now, it has a membership of over 200 students holding various belts — two black belts, five first Dans and a second Dan held by petite Nur Farrah Ezzati of Chinese-Javanese parentage.

In the Asia Regional Tournament held in Sabah with 12 Asian countries taking part, the club was third overall with seven gold, six silver and eight bronze medals. In its first World Cup in Verona, Italy, the club sent 16 athletes and took home four bronze medals through Ashli Harris, Tsai Soon Chen, David Kuek and Idris Hussin. A second foray into the World Cup in Kuching this year saw the club increase its medal tally to one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. The gold were delivered by Tsai, silver by Idris and Fung Chik Kong and bronze by Ilyes and Allan Kong.

The club is preparing for the next World Cup in Egypt next year. On why most parents did not approve of their children taking up karate-do, Hussin said probably they thought it was a dangerous sport. “However, karate-do is not just about breaking bricks and tiles and delivering flying kicks. It’s a reputable sport, a form of self-defence that teaches one to confront danger, besides imparting discipline and self-confidence. “It is actually a safe sport as students are taught to be careful not to injure each other and 15-year-olds must wear protective gear like shin guards, gloves, face masks and vests,” he said.

Karate: Puva takes on coach’s challenge to win gold in Laos

By RAJES PAUL
KUALA LUMPUR: Karate exponent R. Puvaneswaran is determined to bow out of the national team as a champion. And for this reason, the seasoned campaigner will take up the gauntlet thrown at him by coach P. Arivalagan to win the gold medal in the Laos SEA Games in December.
Arivalagan served an ultimatum to Puvaneswaran last week to shape up or ship out of the national team following a below par performance in the Asian Championships in Foshan, China, where the exponent failed to defend the below 55kg category title. Arivalagan wants his veteran fighter to redeem himself in the SEA Games to earn the ticket to compete in the Guangzhou Asian Games next year.

Tasting the goodies: Rohitt (from left), Jayalalitha, Lohanathan, Puvaneswaran with Geervan on his lap, Pushparani, Jeyan and Shrivars at their home yesterday. — DARRAN TAN / The Star
After serving the country with passion and dedication for 16 long years, Puvaneswaran is set to keep his good record intact. “I am not taking the coach’s challenge lying down. I am ready to prove my worth by winning a fifth SEA Games gold medal in Laos. It is a do-or-die mission for me,” said the 35-year-old. “After having served the nation for so long, I am not prepared to end my karate career on a bad note. When I leave the national squad, I want to be remembered as an exponent who had done very well.”

Puvaneswaran has competed in every SEA Games since 1993 in Singapore except for the 1995 edition in Chiang Mai when karate was not in the programme. He was the gold medallist in 1999 (Brunei), 2001 (Kuala Lumpur), 2005 (Manila) and 2007 (Korat).

Puvaneswaran added that he wanted a last shot at winning the Asian Games gold medal again.
“My definite plan is to quit the sport for good after the Asian Games next year. I believe that I still have it in me to challenge for the gold medal,” said the 2002 Busan Asiad champion.
“I am not getting any younger but I am determined to push myself harder for the next one year to achieve my goal.” Meanwhile, for the Deepavali celebration, Puvanesawaran took a shortbreak from his hectic training schedule to spend time with his wife, Jayalalitha, and three sons - Shrivars (five years old), Rohitt (two) and Geervan (six months old), together with his family in-laws - Lohanathan, Pushparani and Jeyan at his home in Puncak Jalil.

For Puvaneswaran, the family support has been crucial in his career in karate. In fact, he hopes that one day, his sons would make it big in the sport. His eldest son Shrivars holds a green belt and showed that he is set to emulate his father’s footsteps one day.

National exponents can still make Laos SEA Games

KUALA LUMPUR: Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) will decide whether or not to send a taekwondo team to the Laos SEA Games after the Ad-hoc Committee of Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) makes its selection of the exponents. OCM honorary-secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said he was informed that MTA’s Ad-hoc Committee would hold a selection session on August 17. “OCM has not decided on this and will only arrive at a decision after the selection session,” he said when contacted by Bernama here yesterday.

Bernama had reported earlier that OCM had decided not to send a taekwondo team to the Laos SEA Games as Malaysia did not have a legitimate governing body for the sport after MTA was de-registered on July 5, 2007 by the Sports Commissioner. Meanwhile, Nur Ekmal Buhary, the former deputy president of MTA, said this development augured well for the national exponents who had not been competing in any international competitions since the Beijing Olympics of 2008.

Malaysia has confirmed participation in 20 of the 25 sports in the Laos SEA Games, namely aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, billiards & snooker, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karate-do, pencak silat, petanque, sepak takraw, shooting, table-tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wushu.
— Bernama

Karate: Malaysia hold off Russia to emerge KOI World Cup winners

KUCHING: Hosts Malaysia created history by becoming the overall champions for the first time in the Kobe Osaka International (KOI) World Cup since 1991. Represented by the national team, Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan and Pahang, Malaysia captured a total of 13 gold, 16 silver and 26 bronze medals to accumulate 97 points to top the medals table.

Although Russia also won 13 gold, they were edged into second place with 10 silver, six less than the Malaysians and seven bronze for a total of 66 points. The two countries were neck and neck in the fight for the lead in the last two days of competition at State Indoor Stadium in Petra Jaya.
Both had four gold medals each to show on the final day yesterday with Jamaluddin Shaharudin delivering a gold for Malaysia in the male senior individual kumite 65kg-72.5kg, Jamalliah Jamaluddin in the female senior individual kumite +60kg, male senior team kumite 18 years old and above and mixed gender team kata senior 16 years old and above.

Apart from the four gold, Malaysia also cap-tured six silver and nine bronze. Russia won their gold medals through Garmaev Veniamin in the male veteran individual kata 40 years old and above, Askanas Megrabyan in the male senior individual kumite +80kg, Anna Savitskaya in the female senior individual kumite -53kg and male cadet team kumite 14-15 years old.

Finishing in third place were Hong Kong who garnered five gold, three silver and five bronze for a total of 26 points. The last gold of the day went to defending champion Rene Smaal of Netherlands who overcame a determined opponent in Malaysia’s S. Jayaseelan 5-1 in the final of the male senior individual kumite 72.5kg to -80kg. Smaal also won a gold in the mixed team kumite (18 and above) on Friday.

Meanwhile, Ramly Abdullah said he was overjoyed with the overall performance of the country’s karatekas and they had surpassed the target of four gold medals.
“We won five gold and two silver at the KOI World Cup in Latina, Italy last year and with our intensive training programme, we have managed a very good result this year,” the national team manager said. Ramly said the performance of the back-up exponents was also very encouraging and they would form the backbone of the national team when the seniors retire.
“We fielded only nine national exponents and 32 back-up exponents in this meet and they have exceeded our expectations,” he added. He said the World Cup was also a venue to prepare the national exponents for the coming SEA Games and Islamic Games.
Asked on the target for the next World Cup, Ramly said Malaysia had to work harder to do better or maintain their performance.