Chong Wei just a step away from Championships final

Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei hits a return to Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto during their men's singles quarter-final match at the 2013 Badminton World Championships in Guangzhou, August 9, 2013.

World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei overpowered Indonesian ace Tommy Sugiarto to stroll into the semifinals of the 2013 World Badminton Championships at the Tianhe Gymnasium, here, today.

The top seed in the tournament showed why he is still the World number one as he took just 35 minutes to sweep aside the Indonesian pretender to the title, 21-6, 21-9, which was a flattering score by world standards.

Chong Wei will now meet third seed Du Pengyu of China who overcame India’s rising star Parupalli Kashyap 16-21, 22-20, 21-15 in a three-set thriller.

In another quarterfinal match played earlier, defending champion Lin Dan from China beat his fellow countryman Chen Long 21-13, 22-20, to keep his hopes of winning a fifth world championship very much alive.

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After stadium switch for Barcelona friendly, minister slams original choice

Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told the Malaysian Handball Federation on July 7, 2013 to suspend all those involved in the alleged gang rape of the Sukma games

Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today criticised the choice of Bukit Jalil national stadium for the national team's friendly with the Barcelona football club, following a last-minute venue switch to Shah Alam stadium for the event.

Khairy said the venue switch would harm the country's reputation and inconvenience the fans, pointing out that he had himself previously said the Bukit Jalil stadium's turf conditions were unacceptable.

"So here, as the minister responsible for SBNJ, I once again explain that I am also not satisfied with the SNBJ field and I have moved to order the closure of SNBJ in October so its turf can be replaced," Khairy (picture) said, referring to the Bukit Jalil national stadium by its Malay initials.

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Badminton Chong Wei finds his groove

Lee Chong Wei found his groove again after a testing second round encounter on Wednesday as he cruised into the World Championships quarter-finals together with men's doubles Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong at Tianhe Indoor Gymnasium in Guangzhou on Thursday.

Chong Wei, who was stretched to three games by Indonesian Dioniysius Hayom Rumbaka on Wednesday, showed his true class as he annihilated young China pretender Wang Zhengming with a 21-12, 21-7 win in 37 minutes.

A confident Chong Wei will be taking his fiery form into the quarter-final stage where he will meet Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia, who overcame Marc Zwiebler of Germany 21-19, 21-14, on Friday.

"I watched the video of Zhengming against Vladmir (Ivanov of Russia) and prepared early to meet him. I adapted myself well to the draught and I didn't expect it to be an easy victory," said Chong Wei.

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Football: Moyes's Man Utd reign begins with shock loss

Manchester United's manager David Moyes (R) next to first team coach Phil Neville (L) during their friendly soccer match at Rajamangala National Staduim in Bangkok, Thailand, 13 July 2013

David Moyes’ reign at Manchester United began with an embarrassing upset on Saturday as his highly paid squad of players slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Thailand’s Singha All-Star XI in Bangkok.
The new manager sat grim-faced on the bench as the feted visitors, who have been given a hero’s welcome in Thailand, failed to recover after falling behind early in the second half.

The Premier League champions cannot even say the goal was against the run of play after scorer Teeratep Winothai had had two of the best chances of the game up to that point.

The result, albeit in a meaningless friendly and with a youthful team, will not ease the task of Moyes as he seeks to follow Alex Ferguson’s 27-year, 38-trophy stint at the world’s most famous club.

Fans had paid up to 4,000 baht ($130) for tickets but they may have been feeling short-changed after a slow start to the match on a sultry evening in suburban Bangkok.


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Sukma scandal: Three handball players claimed trial to raping chaperone at UPM dorm

Sukma handball players - Adib Adha Ismail, 18, Megat Farzeril Faiz Megat Razali and Mohammad Shaizzad Md Shafie, both are 19, - claimed trial to a charge of raping a 20-year-old chaperone.

They were charged separately before three Sessions judges on Thursday. Each were granted bail of RM10,000.

They were alleged to have raped the girl in a room in Second College, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, at about 4.10am on July 4.

The alleged rape during the just-concluded games at the Universiti Putra Malaysia Games village saw the detention of three athletes.

Reporters and photographers were waiting outside the court since morning for the suspects to be produced.

The victim was said to have gone out for drinks with the boys earlier that day and the alleged rape took place in the dormitory at the Games village

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Sukma scandal: Female athletes may be barred from future games if safety not assured, says Penang CM

Female athletes from Penang may not be allowed to take part in future Sukma Games if their safety is not assured, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on Tuesday.

He said an independent inquiry should be carried out on the “shameful” rape incident at the just concluded Games.

“This is to ensure there will not be a repeat of such shameful incidents or else Penang may reconsider sending its female athletes to future Sukma Games,” he said in a statement here.

Lim said the state government wants clear assurances from Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin on adequate security and that action would be taken against those responsible for lax security in University Putra Malaysia.

“If Khairy fails to provide such assurances, then the state government may reconsider sending female athletes to future Sukma Games,” he said.

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Sukma scandal: Alleged rape victim a chaperone for team

New revelations have unfol­ded in the alleged rape at the recently concluded Sukma – the girl has been revealed to be a chaperone for the Federal Territories women’s handball team.

The girl, who was a communications liaison to the girls’ team, was in charge of informing the athletes who were housed in a dorm in Second College in UPM on team instructions as the team’s head coach was male and thus, not allowed to enter the dorm.

A source close to the victim said the 19-year-old girl was “doing okay” and was now accompanied by her mother.

The source, however, claimed that security was not tight, adding that those in charge did not bother to inspect vehicles entering the Games Village. He said there was also no security personnel stationed at the dorm’s entrances.

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Sukma scandal: Khairy upset by report of coach consuming alcohol with players and rape occur

Athletes alone are not to be blamed.

Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also took coaches and sports officials from the handball team to task for allo­wing alcohol to be consumed in the Malaysia Games Village at University Putra Malaysia during the just-concluded Sukma, which was rocked by an alleged rape.

A disappointed Khairy said he had received fresh reports on the incident yesterday, which revealed that a coach had joined the handball team in their boozing session.

“The case of the alleged rape is being investigated by the police. On our side, we have asked the relevant parties to submit a report. We want to know why it happened and what were the security measures taken,” said Khairy.

“I found out that alcohol had been consumed inside the Games Village and I am really saddened and shocked to find out that a coach had been party to it.


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Cyrens are champs again

Daylight robbery in Khairy's home

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City Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah says the suspects gained access to the premise through the front door which was unlocked.



Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has become the latest victim of robbers when his home was hit on Saturday afternoon.

A minister's house was broken into by four men in Bukit Damansara, here, yesterday.

In the 5pm incident, the suspects were believed to have entered the house by climbing up the side fence.

City Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah said the suspects gained access to the premise through the front door which was unlocked.

"At the time of the incident, the minister's maid was in the kitchen and the rest of the family was out.


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Shuttlers kicked out of training venue as Sukma takes precedence

The World Championships-bound shuttlers were not smiling after a hard day’s work at their national training centre in Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara yesterday.

Besides having to deal with the worsening haze in the country, they have been told that they cannot use the stadium from today onwards as it will be used for the 16th Malaysia Games (Sukma). The Games begin on Thursday and the netball event will be held there.

The shuttlers, who are preparing for the world meet in Guangzhou from Aug 5-11, can only resume training at the stadium on July 8.

With the move to accommodate Sukma, the national coaches will now have to find their own venues for training.

It will also mean that the singles and doubles players will not be training together.


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Chong Wei puts on ‘weight’ and it suits him fine

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei is putting on “weight” in his bid for glory at the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, from Aug 5-11.

The 30-year-old has been wearing a new and funky high-tech performance suit in training since last week. Named Lila, it is a locally-made brand and created by Joseph Dolcetti, a former head of the conditioning department at the National Sports Institute (NSI).

Weights are attached to the suit, which uses the Exogen technology (High Performance Exoskeletons), and the wearer can load up to 10% of his body weight.

“Age is catching up. So, I am game to try out anything new in sports science to give me power and speed to keep up with the youngsters. Why not embrace it if it helps. I have tried Lila and I am comfortable with it,” said Chong Wei, the first Malaysian athlete to adopt the new weight training programme.

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Kelantan football fans storm stadium for FA Cup finals tickets

Kelantan football fans stormed the main entrance of the stadium on hearing the news that tickets for the FA Cup finals between Kelantan and Johor have been sold out in 10 minutes at Stadium Sultan Muhammad IV today.

JB street race fans rejoice

The Petronas-AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship event has always featured very exciting and action-packed racing. A street race will create even more excitement.


BY next year, the state capital here may see a revival of the famous Johor Grand Prix street race, marking the start of interesting motorsports events for the country.

The street race will be part of the popular Malaysian Cub Prix Championship and will be modelled after the famed Esplanade street race in Penang.

The New Sunday Times learnt that several potential locations in the city have been proposed for the street race. Among them are the Danga Bay stretch of Jalan Skudai, the Stulang Laut area and Larkin.

Another possibility is the city centre fronting Lido Beach, which was the original location for the Johor Grand Prix, which last saw action in the 1960s.

The original Johor Grand Prix was the brainchild of the then Tunku Mahkota of Johor Almarhum Sultan Sir Ismail Sultan Sir Ibrahim in 1940 as an effort to contribute to the war fund. In the 1950s and 1960s, the event sparked the interest of many budding car racers and motorcycle racers from the region.

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KJ all riled up over state of stadium

It was once touted as the “Wembley of Malaysia”, a venue where all the Cup finals and international stature matches would be played.

But the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has now become the butt of jokes among football players, coaches, officials and fans.

Built at a cost of RM800mil, the stadium has a seating capacity of 90,000 and was viewed as the pride of the nation.

Fifteen years later, the pitch, once in pristine condition, is all cut up.

And this has got the new Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin all riled up. He has ordered the field to be closed for six months from October for repairs.

Khairy was spot on when he said the field did not meet international standards.

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I don't have to answer, ask FAM administration - Tengku Abdullah

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will have to explain to the Johor Football Association (PBSJ) about issues involving PBSJ, said FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
"They have the right to give their views. I don't need to answer, it is up to the administration of FAM," he said when asked to comment on criticisms made by the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

Tengku Abdullah who is also the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang did not rule out possibility there was some truth in the criticisms made by Tunku Ismail.

Tunku Ismail urged FAM to treat members fairly and questioned the RM15,000 PBSJ should have received for live television rights for hosting Malaysia League matches.

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State junior cyclist killed in accident

The lorry and the wrecked bicycle at the scene of the accident yesterday.
Mohd Shafiq Imran Mohd Shahril was training when the accident took place

Teenager knocked down by lorry

KUALA TERENGGANU: A 15-YEAR-OLD member of the Terengganu junior cycling team was killed in an accident with a lorry here yesterday.

Mohd Shafiq Imran Mohd Shahril was on a daily training exercise with the rest of the team when the accident occurred at the Tepoh bridge on the Kuala Terengganu-Kelantan road, near Kampung Bukit Guntong here, at 9am.

The Form Three student from SM Bandar here, who joined the team in 2011, suffered serious bodily injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at Sultanah Nur Zahirah hospital.

His mother, Tuan Jara Kamariah Tuan Ahmad, 41, when met at the hospital mortuary, described her son as a very quiet, but loving and kind-hearted person.


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Fans cause havoc-Pahang lose advantage-Bad Management Caught off-guard

A fan is seen carrying a steel pole into the Darul Makmur Stadium as security personnel look on before the match between Pahang and Darul Takzim on Tuesday.

The FA Cup semifinal second leg match between Pahang and Darul Takzim at Darul Makmur Stadium on Tuesday had to be cancelled due to fans without tickets forcing their way onto the pitch.

41,000 fans filled people thronged the 35,000-capacity Darul Makmur Stadium


UNRULY fans, mostly supporters without tickets forcing their way into the Darul Makmur Stadium, caused havoc during the second-leg semi-final showdown between Pahang and Darul Takzim in Kuantan on Tuesday.

A Pahang FA official said four of the stadium's gates were damaged due to the supporters forcing their way in along with bona fide RM12 ticket holders rushing for free seating.

It is learnt that a total of 30,220 open seating tickets and 1,100 grandstand tickets were sold for the match, and they sold like hot cakes. All the tickets were snapped up by 4pm on match day.

Some 41,000 fans filled the 35,000-capacity stadium after they forced their way in. Stadium personnel who were on duty at the entrance could only watch helplessly.


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Cops warn football fans to behave

Separate parking and entrances, and heavy police presence to ensure incident-free FA Cup semi-final today

KUALA LUMPUR: POLICE reminded football fans attending the FA Cup semi-final second leg match between Pahang and Johor Darul Takzim at the Bukit Jalil Stadium tonight to be on their best behaviour.

City police deputy chief Datuk Amar Singh said several measures had been implemented to ensure that the match proceeded without any incidents.

The second leg of the match was supposed to have been played at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan on Tuesday but had to be abandoned after fans of both sides gatecrashed the stadium and invaded the pitch.

Amar said measures had been taken to ensure the scenario did not recur.

"Among the steps taken are the segregation of parking areas and seating for Pahang and Johor supporters. This will also help ensure that supporters have easier access to the stadium through designated gates," he said.

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Squash a step closer to Olympic inclusion

Squash, baseball/softball and wrestling have made the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortlist for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games.

The IOC made the annoucement of the three shortlisted sports chosen from a list of eight at its summit in St. Petersburg, Russia on Wednesday.

A final decision will be made in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina just before a full IOC session at which the host nation of the Olympics will also be chosen.

With Malaysian squash queen Nicol David leading the charge, there is still reason to be optimistic that squash may make the cut.