KUALA LUMPUR: The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) have appointed bowling legend Datuk Shalin Zulkifli and former squash champion Sharon Wee as the deputy chefs-de-mission (CDM) for the Phnom Penh Sea Games, from May 5-17.
OCM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria said the two former athletes will assist CDM Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali in the biennial games.
"I believe the experience of Shalin and Sharon will be helpful to CDM Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali and the athletes, for me, they understand the difficulties and challenges faced by the contingent," said Norza after OCM's Executive Council meeting at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), yesterday.
"I hope both of them can join the CDM to the ground to help the athletes."
He also revealed that they are willing to loosen the requirement to include senior athletes in the B category for the Sea Games if the national sports associations (NSA) are adamant.
Last October, OCM's selection committee decided that only athletes below the age of under-23 years old would be permitted to compete under category B.
All participation costs for athletes under Category A will be borne by the OCM, while the expenses for Category B will be borne by the athletes or NSAs involved, but they will be reimbursed if they win a medal.
Norza conceded some events require the services of senior athletes to guide younger athletes as well as some sports are contested by older athletes.
He added that sports that would be considered for senior athletes are athletics, water polo, volleyball, dragon boat race, snooker and billiard.
"Snooker and billiards have cueist who are 50 years old and above, this is the nature of the sports as older athletes compete in these sports... For this sport, under-age athletes are not allowed to enter the snooker centres," said Norza.
"For athletics, if there is a senior athlete and three other young athletes in the 4x100m or 4x400m, we can consider their participation."
The Malaysian contingent preliminary list has 799 athletes and officials, comprising 594 athletes and 205 officials from 29 sports.
Under Category A there will be 367 athletes and 143 team officials, while Category B will have 227 athletes and 62 officials for the trip to Cambodia.