Violence in Mexico costs Pandelela and Co Super Finals tickets

Pandelela diving during a training session

PETALING JAYA: Seasoned campaigner Pandelela Rinong (pic) and other divers are unable to fight for a spot in the Super Finals in China from May 1-3 following the cancellation of the World Cup leg in Mexico.

Pandelela was part of a six-member team to the World Cup scheduled in Zapopan from March 5-8, but was cancelled by the World Aquatics due to a surge of drug cartel violence in the country.

Zapopan, located near the city of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, has been affected by the violence following the military’s killing of powerful drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.

The others affected are Elvis Priestly Clement, Enrique Maccartney Harold, and Bertrand Rhodict (men), and Lee Yiat Qing, and Yong Rui Jie (women).

With the Mexico leg culled, Pandelela and others have no more platform to qualify for the Super Finals in Beijing.

The World Aquatics have decided that the World Cup leg in Montreal, Canada, which ended yesterday, will be used to decide the qualifiers for the Finals.

However, Malaysia did not send any divers to Canada.

“We were about to send them to Mexico. But due to the news, World Aquatics decided to cancel the event due to safety concerns,” said national diving technical director Yeoh Ken Nee.

“We won’t have anyone competing in China for the Super Finals because World Aquatics will be using the results from Canada for qualification.”