KUALA LUMPUR: Pistol shooter Alia Sazana Azahari still has a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics. However, she has to fork out her own money to compete in the qualifiers.
The National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) won't provide financial support for shooters, who hope to compete in the Paris Olympic qualifier in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 11-20.
The association believes it will be a waste of money.
The meet is the final competition for shooters to secure Paris Olympic berths.
To date, Johnathan Wong is the only Malaysian shooter who has successfully qualified.
Alia had opportunities to qualify through the Asian Championships in South Korea last year and Jakarta last month, but the 32-year-old failed to reach the final of the women's 25m pistol event on both occasions.
NSAM executive secretary Hayati Shamsuri confirmed that no Malaysian shooter will receive funding for the Rio qualifier.
"We believe it will be challenging for Malaysian shooters to earn Olympic tickets in Rio.
"However, we will not stop Alia from competing in Rio if she raises the necessary funds for the expenses," said Hayati.
Johnathan, who will be making his second Olympic appearance, will compete in the men's 10m air pistol event in Paris.
