Former heptathlon queen Zaiton Othman has declined Malaysia Athletics’ (MA) offer to head its new coaching and development board.
Her decision deals a blow to the association’s bid to bring past greats back into the fold to help revive the sport.
Zaiton, announced in June as chairman of the board, told FMT she never signed the acceptance letter.
She said she had already informed then MA general manager Nurhayati Karim in July that she would not be able to take up the role.
“I’ve not been well lately and I never signed the acceptance letter,” she said. “After my return from overseas, I had a discussion with my former coach, C Ramanathan, and decided not to accept the offer.
“I told Nurhayati that I had to pull out because of my health reasons.”
She added: “I think I have done enough for the sport as an athlete and as a national juniors coach.”
Her decision means she will not attend the coaching and development board’s first meeting on Thursday.
Alongside Zaiton, MA had also brought in former 100m record holder G Shanti, sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli and ex-pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu, to lend their expertise in different capacities.
The initiative was meant to leverage their experience to mentor young athletes.
Zaiton’s withdrawal, however, is a setback as she was the most senior and decorated figure among the appointees.
Announcement before acceptance
Her decision also raises questions about why MA announced her appointment before receiving formal acceptance.
By her account, she had already made clear in July that she could not serve, but MA went public with her name soon after.
The development comes as MA faces a series of controversies since Karim Ibrahim returned as president in June.
One of his first moves was to appoint his daughter, Nurhayati, as secretary-general.
His predecessor, Shahidan Kassim, was later named honorary lifetime president, even though MA’s constitution has no provision for such a position.
MA has also faced criticism over the issue of cash prizes for nine athletes, including Zaiton, who won the national sportsman and sportswoman of the year awards between 1966 and 1982.
Each was entitled to RM5,000, but they never received the money.
While other associations have moved to settle the arrears, MA has only said it would form a task force — one that has yet to materialise.
Last week, the association again came under scrutiny for its representation at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Two state secretaries were sent, with one serving as team manager for 400m runner Umar Osman, Malaysia’s sole participant at the meet.
Umar’s coach, Simon Lau, was left at home, while the other secretary represented MA at the world congress.
The absence of top officials, including Karim himself, drew criticism from athletics circles.
Against this backdrop, Zaiton’s decision not to take up the chairmanship is likely to be seen as another blow to the credibility of MA’s leadership.
A decorated career
Zaiton was one of Malaysia’s most versatile athletes. A three-time SEA Games heptathlon gold medallist, she dominated multiple events in the early 1980s.
At the 1981 Manila Games, she collected five medals — gold in the heptathlon, 4x100m and 4x400m relays, silver in the high jump and bronze in the long jump.
That same year, she set a national heptathlon record that stood for 40 years.
She was named national sportswoman of the year in 1982. At state level, she was Penang’s sportswoman of the year four times in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1989.
Decades later, she broke new ground again, becoming the first woman to serve as Malaysia’s sports commissioner in 2015, a position she held until her retirement in 2019.
