KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Athletics Federation has slammed Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim over his recent statements about corruption within national sports associations.
Its president, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, has demanded that Adam Adli show proof that NSAs were plagued by corruption, barring which he would face legal action.
"Don't try to be a 'champion' by making baseless assertions without any proof. Please get the complete information on how sports bodies are managed by people who are chosen to do so. Show us proof of any organisation that is involved in corruption," he said in a statement.
Shahidan said Adam Adli should be defending the sports fraternity in Malaysia, adding that the statement he made were "unhealthy and inappropriate".
"If he doesn't show proof, we will take appropriate action against his baseless statement," he said.
Shahidan is not the first person to take Adam Adli to task for his statement.
Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria had said he was "uneasy" with the deputy minister's claims, while his counterparts in the Football Association of Malaysia, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, and Wushu Federation of Malaysia, Datuk Chong Kim Fatt, had said they were "disappointed".
Adam Adli, in his first press conference after officially clocking in as deputy minister at Menara KBS, had said the national sporting arena should be free of corrupt practices, inefficiency and leakages so it could reach greater heights.
"I am confident media practitioners who cover sports know only too well the problems we face... it's an internal problem as I believe it's not about the performance of our athletes.
"We have many world class athletes who have brought back gold medals at international tournaments, but when we really look at things, it's got to do with corruption, so we need to manage this," he had said.