MAKAF TO APPEAL FOR KARATE TO BE INCLUDED IN 2025 SEA GAMES 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Karate Federation (MAKAF) will submit an appeal to  Thailand, the hosts of the 2025 SEA Games, to have karate, which has been dropped from the list of events, reinstated in the biennial games.

MAKAF president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad said Malaysia is not alone in submitting the appeal, as other countries also want the sport to be included again.

“All ASEAN (karate federation) presidents have agreed to appeal at the level of their respective Local Organising Committees (LOC) to send a letter to the LOC in Thailand to include karate in the 2025 SEA Games.

“We will do this as soon as possible. So far, three LOCs have sent letters to the Asian karate governing body, and we are waiting for another eight to nine countries to do the same,” he said when met recently.

Nur Azmi said, however, that only Singapore has not yet decided to send an appeal.

“But Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is making efforts to discuss this with the relevant minister in Singapore to join the appeal. If they (Singapore) join, it means all countries agree for karate to be included in the SEA Games in Thailand,” he said.

Previously, at a SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) committee meeting, it was announced that several traditional sports that are gold mines for Malaysia, such as karate, weightlifting and wushu, have been excluded from the list of events for the Games.

Instead, SEAGF proposed 40 sports, including disc sports and tug-of-war, as demonstration sports for the 33rd SEA Games scheduled to be held from December 9-20 next year in Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla.

As the hosts, Thailand have about 15 months to finalise the list of sports to be contested.

The deadline for submitting appeals is August 31.

-- BERNAMA