GEORGE TOWN: The health and safety of athletes will remain the Youth and Sports Ministry's top priority as it closely monitors the haze situation, particularly with the Asian Games approaching.
Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said the ministry was monitoring the daily Air Pollutant Index (API) readings and receiving updates from the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) and relevant agencies.
He said the ministry was in communication with the National Sports Institute (ISN) and National Sports Council (MSN) to ensure athletes' health was not compromised during training.
"We are monitoring the situation day by day and receiving information and reports.
"We are also constantly communicating with ISN and MSN to ensure that the health of our athletes is not affected," he said after flagging off participants of Oregeon Tower Run Series at The TOP here on Sunday (Sept 6)
Taufiq said this was particularly important as national athletes were intensifying their preparations for the upcoming Asian Games.
He said athletes training outdoors must adhere to the guidelines set by the government based on the API readings in their respective areas.
"Our priority is the health of our athletes, while at the same time ensuring that the training programmes that have been planned are not disrupted unnecessarily," he said.
Taufiq cited Serian in Sarawak as an example, saying outdoor sports activities would be prohibited when API readings reached unhealthy or hazardous levels. A haze emergency was declared in Serian on Friday (Sept 4) after API levels reached 519.
