JEGA FACING INTENSE BATTLE

Former Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim on Thursday openly expressed his support for Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad in vying for the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) deputy president post.

He said Ibrahim, an OCM vice-president, was a qualified and capable leader for the No. 2 post, now held by Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan.

"I've known him (Ibarhim) as an experienced hand in leading sports bodies and also in getting sponsorship for sports," Shahidan, who is also the president of the Malaysia Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU), told Bernama here Thursday.

Shahidan who is contesting the OCM president post, said Ibrahim was also someone who could carry out well the tasks entrusted to him.

He believed that the associations which supported him in the contest for the OCM top post would also be supporting Ibrahim in challenging Dr Jegathesan for the deputy president post.

Shahidan also repeated his earlier statement that good leaders were not necessarily those already at the top who boast experience in running sports bodies at the international level.

Asked about his final stand on challenging the current OCM president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar for the post, he said he had not changed his mind.

He said what was important for him was to see to the further development of sports through the sports associations that he helmed.

Shahidan is also the president of the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM), Kabaddi Association of Malaysia (KAM), Petanque Federation of Malaysia (PFM) and the Perlis Football Association (PTA).

He said at the Korat SEA Games in Thailand in 2007, swimming and athletics contributed 14 and seven medals respectively for Malaysia.- Bernama