SHAH ALAM - The training of 28 Selangor para-swimmers preparing for the 2026 Sukma Games was disrupted after an outside club allegedly occupied a pool allocated for their official training session.
The incident occurred at about 8.30pm on Aug 14, during a designated National Sports Council (MSN) training slot for the Selangor Sukma Para Swimming Team.
Parent Diamaira Onn raised the issue on social media, expressing frustration over the management of the facility and calling for the athletes' allocated training times to be respected.
Speaking to Sinar Daily, Diamaira said the athletes arrived for their scheduled training session, which runs from 7pm to 10pm, only to find the facility being used by an outside club.
“There are a total of 28 para-athletes who are affected. We truly hope that the authorities and the pool management will ensure that the allocated facilities are fully utilised by the team during the designated training times without disruption or overlap,” she said.
Diamaira stressed that the team was not seeking special treatment, but simply access to the facilities already allocated to the athletes so they could train consistently and safely ahead of Sukma.
“We are not asking for special treatment, but merely the right to use the facilities that have been allocated so that the athletes can continue training regularly and safely in preparation to face Sukma,” she said.
She said para-athletes were an integral part of the Sukma contingent and deserved the same respect and support as other athletes, adding that sports administrators should ensure adequate facilities were provided rather than focusing solely on medal expectations.
Diamaira urged the relevant authorities and pool management to prevent further clashes in scheduling and ensure the team's designated training slots were reserved for the para-athletes.
The team is hoping for a swift resolution to prevent further disruption to the 28 athletes' preparations for Sukma 2026.