The Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) must answer the allegation that the new 100 metres sprint record set by Badrul Hisham Abdul Manap is invalid as it can affect its integrity in the international arena.
Watson Nyambek said the controversy surrounding the validity of the record has caused embarrassment to the athletics scene in the country because a series of news report have questioned the validity of the record due to alleged non-compliance of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) regulations by the organiser.
"They (MAAU officials) should know when athletes break the national or international record it must comply with IAAF regulations before the new record can be made official," he told Bernama in Miri today.
Watson said it is normal for sprinters who set new records only to see the records revoked due to wind-assisted or other technical factors which happened many times when he was competing in domestic and international events.
On Nov 23, Badrul erased the 17-year-old national 100m record of 10.30s held by Watson since 1998, in a time of 10.29s at the Asean Schools Championships in Brunei.
"MAAU should know the real answer as some of the top officials with experience were present at the event (when Badrul set the record) and it could verify immediately whether the national record was smashed or not according to IAAF standard," he said
He said MAAU should come up with a proper explanation as at the moment there is a lot of confusion whether the sprint record was smashed or not.
Yesterday, Stadium Astro website reported that Badrul's sprint record at the Asean Schools Championships in Brunei may be invalid due to complaints of non-compliance of IAAF regulation by the organiser.
One of the reasons cited was that the organiser did not install the wind gauge at the correct place and did not provide the photo finish evidence.
In response, the Brunei Athletic Association (BAA) has requested Malaysia to submit an official report so that an in-depth investigation can be conducted immediately.
- Bernama
