GEORGE TOWN: Some 15 Penang athletes were forced to endure sub-standard living conditions in a homestay programme during the recent Sukma in Sarawak.
The matter came to light today when Pulau Betong assemblyman Datuk Muhammad Farid Saad dropped the bombshell during the state legislative assembly sitting here.
Showing images of the rundown lodgings in Santubong, near Sarawak, and relating the athletes’ discomfort while debating at the August House, Farid said he was shocked that the group had to stay in a cluttered dormitory without even proper bedding.
"Many of the athletes had to sleep on the floor in the living room due to a shortage of rooms.
"To make things worse, the sportsmen and sportswomen were not offered enough meals, with only modest portions provided during their stay,” he said.
Farid lashed out at the state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Chong Eng who delivered her winding up speech on the last day of the sitting.
He also claimed the state had short-changed the petanque athletes, who were only offered a basic accommodation package, when they could have been given a better one.
"Athletes who competed in other sports stayed in better lodgings compared to them, so this is clearly a double standard (on the part of) the state sports authority," Farid said.
Chong said she will check on the matter with the state sporting council and verify the athletes’ allegations.
Sukma Sawarak took place back in July.
