PETALING JAYA: The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) have appointed former national squash player Azlan Iskandar and former bowler Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi as deputy chef de missions (CDM) for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Azlan and Syaidatul will join and support CDM Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan, who is the OCM vice president and Malaysian Sepak Takraw Federation president, in Japan for the Asiad from Sept 19-Oct 4.
“The OCM are confident that the appointment of two former Asian Games gold medallists, Azlan and Syaidatul, as deputy CDMs will inspire and motivate members of the Malaysian contingent to strive for excellence,” said OCM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria in a statement on Saturday (June 13).
Azlan rose to the pinnacle of regional squash by capturing gold in the men’s singles event and a silver medal in the men’s team event at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
His outstanding track record at the Asiad also includes two silver medals in the singles event at the 2006 Doha edition, as well as a silver in the team event at the 2014 edition in Incheon.
He also got a bronze medal in the singles in 2002 at Busan.
At the Southeast Asian level, Azlan won gold in the team event at the 1999 Brunei SEA Games, followed by two gold medals in the singles and team event at the 2001 Kuala Lumpur edition.
Meanwhile, Syaidatul achieved remarkable success at the Asian Games by clinching gold in the women’s trios event and a silver in the women’s team of six event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.
Her achievements at the Southeast Asian level are equally impressive, securing gold in the women’s team event of five alongside two bronze medals in the doubles and trios events at the 2015 Singapore SEA Games.
Syaidatul followed it up with a magnificent victory on home soil, winning gold in the team event of five and a silver in the trios event at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition.
