Swimmers resume Sukma training
Published on: Monday, July 13, 2020
By: GL Oh
Some of the Sukma swimmers preparing for their training session at Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex aquatic centre.
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Aquatic Sports Association (Sasa) has finally been able to restart their Sukma training programme after more than three months away from pool activities since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed in the country on March 18.Its secretary Cynthia Chin when contacted on Sunday said all the trainees have started training with the coaches in their respective venues in Likas and Sandakan since Tuesday (July 7).ADVERTISEMENT
According to her, the coaches appointed for the biennial Games next year in Johor are Elvin Chia, Sean Goh, Benjamin Lee and Tie Mee Kiong, all from MSN, as well as Yap Jia Jun who is from Sabah Malaysia Sports School.
Nine swimmers who have already been confirmed for the squad are Sandakan based Loo Yie Bing, Thien Oi Yee and Gerard Tsen while Lovell Wong, Chu Xin Ying, Janice Lai, Janetty John Fabian, Cheng Ka Man and Yong Xing Ru are from Kota Kinabalu.
“The nine are currently training with other shortlisted swimmers who are given the opportunity to make the final squad by December, the deadline as set by MSN.
“It is obviously good for us to be able to restart the programme after such a long time. Credit to all the coaches as they are required to work extended hours by readjusting their programmes and training schedules for the swimmers due to the new schooling schedule in the morning and afternoon session,” she said.ADVERTISEMENT
She also said they are taking the necessary measures to ensure all swimmers’ health and safety are well taken care of.
“All those who are taking part must have their parents’ consent before training is allowed. We also limit the number of swimmers per lane during the session. At the moment only Sukma swimmers are allowed to have longer training hours while club’s training is limited to only one hour,” she added.
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She also revealed that apart from the Sukma trainees, 34 swimmers under the Pelapis programme have also resumed training sessions under their respective coaches, Eric Chan in Kota Kinabalu, Jeannyvie John Fabian in Penampang and Cynthia Liew in Sandakan.
Chin, who is also an elected independent member of Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia’s (Asum) expressed her gratitude to Sabah Sports Board for providing the facilities and MSN for the continuous support and assistance to ensure the training was smoothly resumed.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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She also thanked all the coaches and parents for their commitments especially the swimmers who had to carry out dryland training at home during the MCO period.
Meanwhile, Pesron (Sabah Sports and Recreation Association for People with Disabilities) have also restarted their training programmes for their swimmers in preparation for next year’s Tokyo Paralympics, Asean Para Games in Vietnam and the Para Sukma Games in Johor under MSN coach Eva Wong.