PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) want the Youth and Sports Ministry to reinstate Azizulhasni Awang into the national elite Road to Gold (RTG) programme.
MNCF president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill acknowledged that the track cycling star has yet to make a final decision on whether to pursue a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with several matters still under discussion involving multiple parties.
However, Amarjit said MNCF are fully behind Azizul and that he will personally submit an official letter to the ministry requesting that the Pocket Rocketman be readmitted into the elite programme.
Amarjit believes a decision must be made soon, with less than two weeks separating the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and the World Championships in Shanghai, which will mark the start of the qualification campaign for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I met and spoke with him before, and if you ask me, deep down he still wants to compete at another Olympics. But he wants to be sure he has the full support of everyone involved. I’ve already told him MNCF will back him all the way,” said Amarjit
“Just look at his achievements. He is more than deserving. In my opinion, he is one of the athletes who most deserves to be in the RTG programme, and the decision needs to be made quickly.
“We cannot wait until after the Asian Games because the World Championships begin just two weeks later, and that tournament is part of the Olympic qualifying campaign. Planning has to start now, not at the last minute.’’
Azizul once again proved he remains among Malaysia’s elite athletes after winning the men’s keirin gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games at the age of 38.
The victory was especially sweet as it was not only his first Commonwealth Games gold medal but also came after he defeated several top riders, including defending champion Nicholas Paul.
Azizul was previously part of the RTG programme as one of Malaysia’s leading hopes of delivering the country’s first Olympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games.
However, he was dropped from the programme after a disappointing Paris Olympics campaign in which he failed to win a medal in the sprint and was disqualified in the opening round of the keirin.
At the same time, Amarjit said MNCF would remain flexible over Azizul’s preparations and would not pressure the veteran rider to return to the national set-up full-time after he announced he would compete as an independent rider in April last year.
“He is no longer a young athlete. What matters most is that whatever preparation he chooses works best for him. We are flexible on that because our priority is to ensure he is in the best possible condition to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” added Amarjit.
