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Athlete's village not ready

PHNOM PENH: Trounle is already brewing even before the start of the Phnom Penh Sea Games.

The Games officially start on Friday, yet the Athletes' Village is incomplete.

And as a result, some Malaysian athletes will have to find their own accommodation in Phnom Penh.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said a large group of athletes would have to seek accommodation outside the Athletes' Village.

Only 200 of the 677 Malaysian athletes will stay in the village at any one time.

"One of the concerns raised is the issue of athletes' placement in Phnom Penh due to the incomplete Athletes' Village. We only just received this information.

"Because of this, some of our athletes would be placed in hotels around the capital city. It might be a problem as we need to look into finding halal food for Muslim athletes.

"Other issues include traffic congestion from these hotels to the venues," Yeoh stressed after announcing the medal target for the contingent at the flag handing-over ceremony in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian contingent's target for the Sea Games is 40 gold, 37 silver and 64 bronze medals.

The target, according to Yeoh, was made after discussions with relevant stakeholders.

"Also taken into account is the decision by the host nation not to list 57 events contested at last year's Hanoi Sea Games, in which Malaysia had won 18 gold, 16 silver and 30 bronze," Yeoh said.

At the previous edition, Malaysia finished sixth overall with a 39-45-90 haul.

Meanwhile, Yeoh also touched on the heat and poor air quality that the national athletes will be exposed to when competing in Phnom Penh.

Yeoh urged Malaysian athletes to adhere to the National Sports Institute's (NSI) guidelines and advice to avoid unwanted health-related issues.

"The secretariat officers and the NSC have taken the necessary measures to ensure our athletes are not affected by the heat and haze in Cambodia.

"We are confident that if the athletes follow the guidelines and advice set by the NSI, they will not face any major issues," Yeoh added.

Malaysia will be competing in 33 of the 36 sports or 340 events.

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