KUALA LUMPUR: The warning signs were already there ahead of the Malaysia Games (Sukma) cycling fiasco, with a number of riders voicing their discontentment over safety issues surrounding the controversial BMX track in Kuching, Sarawak.
But the event went ahead, with Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Datuk Abu Samah Abd Wahab signing approval of the venue, even stating that it complied with International Cycling Union (UCI) standards.
That came in the wake of several UCI commissaires deeming the track to be in violation of safety and technical guidelines for the construction of BMX tracks.
At least one rider, Sarawak’s Haziq Alfayyedh Evenue Hajar, had to be withdrawn from the games after slipping on loose ground upon landing from one of the track’s jumps, and breaking his leg.
Several others participants also suffered injuries sustained in crashes during the competition itself.
His fellow cyclists, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said they had voiced their concerns to their coaches who had raised the matter with the organisers, but it went unheeded.
“It was clear that the track was not up to the mark. Just by riding on it, you can know that it’s unsafe. From the starting hill to the first jump, the track was slanting to the right,” said one cyclist.
“Then, right after the first jump, there was a sharp right turn. That would have caused a lot of crashes. According to regulations, the first 70m from the starting hill has to be in a straight line. However, this was not the case.”
The cycling track fiasco came to light following an uproar from the cycling community over shoddy installations at its three venues in Kuching for road, track, mountain bike and BMX events. The road and track events lacked sufficient safety barricades at its home straight, while the start/finish gantry was made out of metal scaffolding.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) began investigations into allegations of misappropriation of funds for the organisation of the Sukma cycling events by seizing related documents from the homes of two officials last Monday.
To date, MACC has questioned six people. They include Sarawak Cycling Association secretary Zulaihi Seri, who told the New Straits Times that all preparations had been of high standard, which other states looked to emulate, and that the allegations were raised by those who were “envious”.
The Sarawak government was alleged to have allocated RM1 million for the construction of the BMX track, while it was also alleged that at least another RM900,000 was spent on organising the Sukma cycling events.
A cycling enthusiast who has supported the development of BMX riders in the state, saw this as a disappointment.
“To me, it looks like RM160,000 was spent on the track.
“I am not sure how much was actually spent on it,” he said.
“If such money was (really) allocated (for the Sukma track), we could have built a UCI Class 1 track, which would have not cost much. The world class track for the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore costs RM1.2 million.
“That gives you an idea that it would not cost too much to build a track that meets (such) standards which would allow us to hold international events, thus also helping develop our own riders.”
The “technical glitches” during Sukma continue to surface as it was discovered that even the technical handbook distributed to cycling teams had left some dumbfounded when they found it included regulations for lawn bowls.