Elvis Priestly Clement hopes diving will get back into the Commonwealth Games programme.
KUALA LUMPUR: Diving has been dropped from the sports programme for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23-Aug 2, a decision that is set to hurt Malaysia's medal prospects.
Diving was initially included when Glasgow was announced as the host city in September but swimming will now be the only aquatic discipline on the programme.
It's the first time in Commonwealth Games history that diving will not be contested.
Malaysian diving team technical director Yeoh Ken Nee said it was unfortunate news.
"Diving have never failed to contribute medals for Malaysia since we started full time training programme ahead of the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
"It could be because lack of suitable facilities as they had already scaled down the Commonwealth Games.
"Swimming is a compulsory sport in multi-Games and so they can't remove it.
"It is a loss for Malaysia as we would have wanted our younger divers to get some experience. It's the only meet where we are able to field two pairs for the synchro event and up to three for the individual event.
"The divers will just have to focus on the Asian Games then (in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from Sept 19-Oct 4)," said Ken Nee, who interestingly, was the first Malaysian diver to stand on the Commonwealth Games podium when he took silver in the men's 1m springboard individual at the 2006 edition in Melbourne, Australia.
Diving have since then become the fifth most productive sport for Malaysia at the Games with three gold, eight silver and six bronze medals.
At the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, there were 12 events for diving.
The Malaysian team missed out on winning gold for the first time in four editions but still brought back three silver and one bronze medals.
National diver Elvis Priestly Clement, who competed in his first SEA Games in Thailand recently, was disappointed.
"I grew up listening to stories of fellow Sarawakians like Bryan Nickson Lomas and Datuk Pandelela Rinong who have won medals at the Commonwealth Games, so it was my hope to be like them.
"I hope diving will be included in the Commonwealth Games in the future so I can get a chance to live the experience," said the 19-year-old from Sarawak.
