Kevin gets Beijing ticket, finally

KEVIN Lim can rest easy knowing he is assured of sailing in his fourth Olympic campaign, a record for a Malaysian, after the Malaysian Yachting Association (MYA) let go of its claim to the country's berth in the Laser class in Beijing.

MYA had intended to hold a selection trial to pick Malaysia's representative to the Beijing Olympics in sailing's Laser class much to Kevin's displeasure.

Kevin, 32, earned the berth through his participation in the World Laser Championships in Australia in February, a competition which MYA opted not to send any of its sailor to contest, leading the sailor to question its motives.

However, MYA general manager Mohd Affendy Abdullah cleared the air when he said MYA dropped its plans to hold the selection after meeting Kevin in Batu Laut on the sidelines of the Selangor Regatta last month.

"We told him at the time that there would not be a trial and that the Olympic spot is his. So we don't understand why he said later that he was still in the dark.
"We had only intended for the trial to keep him on his toes and work hard for the Olympics, that's all," said Affendy when contacted by telephone in Langkawi yesterday.

Affendy said an additional RM25,000, approved by the National Sports Council, has been released to Kevin for his Olympic preparations after the sailor's repeated appeals for a speedy release of the funds.

"Kevin must understand that it takes time to process his requests and obtain the money from NSC. It is not easy for us to get hold of the funds as there are procedures to follow," he said.

Affendy hopes that the dispute with Kevin over the Olympic berth and funding is now over as both parties focus on their respective obligations.

"This has put us in a very bad light and led to our sponsors, who we have struggled to attract, questioning us on the matter.

"Any money we obtain from the sponsors goes into our development efforts and we cannot be spending it unnecessarily," added Affendy.

NST