Opening of Road To Tokyo training camp in Bukit Jalil pushed a week forward

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The Road To Tokyo (RTT) 2020 central training camp scheduled to commence at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil, on June 1, has now been pushed forward to June 8.

National Sports Council (MSN) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said the postponement would allow athletes’ quarters at Casa 1 to undergo a decontamination process after being used as one of the Covid-19 Quarantine Centres by the National Security Council.

Ahmad Shapawi said this was in line with recommendations from Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and the Ministry of Health (MOH).

He said, however, the badminton squad and the national sailing squad would begin their RTT training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara and the Sailing Training Centre in Langkawi as scheduled on June 1.

“All of those involved at the central training camp here will undergo several screening processes after reporting in, such as swab testing on the first day of registration, self-quarantine at the quarters from the first day until the results are obtained on the second or third day after the test.

“The third is to undergo the swab test on the fifth day (pre-symptom) and the 13th-day swab test (non-symptom),” he said in a statement today.

Ahmad Shapawi said only 207 individuals comprising athletes, coaches, sparring athletes, sports managers, support staff and sports science and medical support staff would be involved in the training camp compared to the original number of 265 people, which included support staff such as security personnel, cleaning staff and drivers.

He said two national athletes from Sabah, namely Brenda Anelia Larry (para-swimming) and Wong Kar Gee (para-athletics) as well as three paralympic coaches, were given exemptions to continue individual training in their state due to their conditions which required full-time attention from family members.

Ahmad Shapawi also revealed that a shooting athlete had withdrawn from the RTT programme as his current ranking did not put him in the best position to earn a slot for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

A total of 146 athletes and sports officials from sporting disciplines such as aquatics (diving and swimming), gymnastics (artistic), archery and karate will be placed at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City.

Paralympic athletes involved in the RTT training camp in Bukit Jalil comprise those from swimming, archery, cycling, athletics, badminton, boccia, powerlifting, table tennis and wheelchair tennis.

A total of 37 people including nine athletes (eight normal and one para-athlete) under the RTT programme will be involved with the training camp at the Academy Badminton Malaysia, while 24 including athletes, coaches and support staff will be based at Sailing Training Centre in Langkawi. — Bernama