OCM Weekly Highlights - 8th March 2009

OCM Weekly Highlights 

8th March 2009

OCM Official Website: www.olympic.org.my

Coming Events

Opening of OCA New Headquarters Building – 11th March 2009 at Kuwait.

1st OCA Congress 2009 – 13th and 14th March 2009 at OCA Headquarters, Kuwait. 

IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia 2009 – 13th to 22nd March 2009 at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

19th OCM Executive Board Meeting – 10th March 2009 at 4.30 p.m. at OCM Boardroom, 1st Floor, Wisma OCM,Kuala Lumpur 

4th National Handball League 2009 – first round on 22nd March 2009 from 9.00 a.m. at OCM Indoor Sports Arena, Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur 

Corporate Cup Individual Carom Championship 2009 – 4th and 5th April 2009, from 9.00 a.m. each day, at 2nd Floor, OCM Indoor Sports Complex, Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur. 

152nd OCM Council Meeting - 25th April 2009 at 10.00 a.m. at the Conference Room, Ground Floor, Wisma OCM, Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur. 

28th OCM Annual General Assembly 2009 – 30th May 2009 at 2.00 p.m. at OCM Indoor Sports Arena, Wisma OCM, Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur. 

9th Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2009 – 7th to 21st June 2009, Johor Bahru and Singapore. 

News Items

Congratulations 

Members of the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the Executive Board wish to congratulate the following Vice Presidents of OCM:

• Cik Low Beng Choo for her appointment as the Vice Chair of the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) and for her appointment by the Hon. Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia as a member of the National Sports Awards Committee and Chair of the Technical Committee of SUKMA XII, 2010. 

• Y.Bhg. Prof. Dato’ Ar. W. Y. Chin for his appointment by the Hon. Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia as a member of the National Coaching Board from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2010.

• Y.Bhg. Dato’ Roy Rajasingham for his appointment by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Executive Board a member of the Judicial Commission of the FIH for a 2 year period 2009 and 2010. 

Condolence 

The Office Bearers and members of OCM wish to extend our condolences to the family of the late Mr. Sunny Hon, who passed away peacefully in the early hours of 8th March 2009 at the age of 59 years. The late Mr. Sunny Hon was a National Skeet Shooter, having represented Malaysia in the SEA Games and SEASA Shooting Championships. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Selangor Shooting Association. The funeral will be on 10th March 2009 from St. Ignatius Church, Taman Plaza, Off LDP Highway, Kelana Jaya. 

United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace

8th March of each year, is the United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. It marks the ongoing worldwide pursue for equal rights for women on every aspect of life including sport. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is very active in its objective of achieving gender equity in sport at all level. Every four years the IOC Women and Sport World Conference is organized. The last one was held in the Dead Sea, Jordan, in March 2008. 

The IOC Women and Sport Trophy was introduced in 2000. Every year, six trophies (one per continent, and one at world level) are awarded to a woman or man (former athlete, coach, administrator or journalist) or to an organisation that has worked to develop, encourage and strengthen the participation of women and girls in physical and sports activities, in coaching or in administrative and decision-making structures, and promote female journalists and women’s sport in the media. Each NOC, International Federation or Continental Association may propose one candidate. The Malaysian Women’s Hockey Association won the Trophy for Asia in 2001and the former Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia, Y.B. Dato’ Seri Azalina Dato’ Othman Said was awarded the 2008 World Women and Sport Trophy.

The IOC has set the target of 20% of the positions in all their decision-making structures (in particular the executive and legislative bodies), in the NOCs, IFs and NSAs were held by women. An initial target of having at least 10% of positions within decision-making bodies held by women was set for December 2000. At present, more than 30% of the NOCs and 29% of the IFs have already achieved the 2005 target. Unfortunately the Olympic Council of Malaysia and almost all its affiliates, except those sports associations managing women sports, such as Netball, Women’s Golf, Women’s Hockey have not achieved the IOC target. 

Grass Roots Sports Development 

While many sports leaders and fans lament the lack of sports promotion and development at grass-roots levels, fortunately, the situation is not as bad as it appears. The lack of funds has always been and will always remain the excuse for many people not to do anything. With the global economic down-turn, the shortage of funds will become more acute for this year and the next. For passionate and dedicated sports people, they live by the motto “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going”. Instead of waiting for funding from sponsors or government, many sports people are organizing sports activities for themselves and by themselves.

One such example is the 3rd INTI Open Water Polo Charity Championship 2009, held in the Inti University College, Nilai on 7th and 8th March 2009. The Championship is organized by the students of INTI University College who are members of the University Life Saving and Swimming Club. The Organizing Committee is not only raising sufficient funds to run the Open Water Polo Championship, but is donating the excess funds to the Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Kajang (PKIK) or Association for Special Children Kajang, Selangor. 

A total of 16 teams are participating, with teams coming from Penang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur. Three of the teams are women’s (girls’) teams and they will compete against the men. All the players are teenagers or young adults and they displayed excellent sporting spirit and at the same time have fun with players of their age group of the other teams.

There are many examples of such sport for all activities in the country, with little fanfare and publicity. These sports people are doing it for their love for sports and not for publicity. The Ulu Klang Recreation Club (UKRC) organizes community Football for children at their club field in Kuala Ampang. The Pacesetters Athletic Club, Malaysia, is another club that promotes, develops and organizes road running for adults and track events for children, through their own efforts. 

Other sports bodies organizing similar grass-roots competitions are, The Malaysian Handball Federation which is organizing its 4th National Inter-Team handball League, from 22nd March 2009 at the OCM Indoor Sports Arena, the Kuala Lumpur Kabaddi Association, which is running an Open Kabaddi League from 1st March 2009 and the Malaysian Ice Hockey Federation which has been organizing a very successful Inter-Team Ice Hockey League for many years.