Nicol dianugerah Mejar Kehormat TUDM

RATU skuasy negara dan pemain nombor satu dunia, Datuk Nicol Ann David dianugerah pangkat Mejar Kehormat Pasukan Simpanan Sukarela Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM), semalam.
Pemakaian pangkat itu dilakukan oleh Panglima TUDM Jeneral Tan Sri Rodzali Daud pada majlis di Wisma Pertahanan, Jalan Semarak.

Nicol tidak pernah menyangka akan dianugerah pangkat itu dan berharap anugerah itu menjadi pendorong mencatat lebih banyak kejayaan.
“Saya ingin merakam setinggi-tinggi penghargaan kepada Jeneral Tan Sri Rodzali dan TUDM kerana diberi penghormatan menerima anugerah ini dan berharap ia menjadi pendorong kepada saya untuk meraih lebih banyak gelaran tahun ini,” katanya.

Nicol akan meneruskan latihan di Amsterdam, Belanda di bawah bimbingan jurulatih dari Australia, Liz Irving.

“Musim kedua kejohanan skuasy baru saja bermula dan saya akan bertanding dalam beberapa kejohanan seperti Terbuka Carol Weymuller di New York, Terbuka China, Kejohanan Berpasukan Dunia di Perancis dan Terbuka Dunia di Cayman Island,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Rodzali berkata, Nicol menjadi atlet pertama dianugerah pangkat itu dan dia sememangnya layak menerimanya selepas melakar banyak kejayaan dalam kejohanan skuasy antarabangsa.

Nicol adalah atlet kedua dianugerah pangkat seperti itu selepas Datuk Lee Chong Wei yang dianugerah pangkat Leftenan Komander Kehormat oleh Pasukan Simpanan Sukarela Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, Julai lalu.

Nicol made honorary major of RMAF

KUALA LUMPUR: National squash queen and the world’s No. 1 player Datuk Nicol David was yesterday accorded a honorary major of the Royal Malaysian Air Forces (RMAF) Volunteer Reserve.
She received her insignia from RMAF chief Jen Tan Sri Rodzali Daud at Wisma Pertahanan in Jalan Semarak, here.

Nicol said she had never thought she would be receiving the prestigious award, and hoped it would spur her to achieve more success in the coming squash tournaments.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Jen Tan Sri Rodzali and the RMAF for honouring me with this prestigious award,” an elated Nicol told reporters after the function.
Nicol said she would continue her training under Australian Liz Irving in Amsterdam, Holland.
“The season has just started and I will compete in a few tournaments such as the Carol Weymuller Open in New York, China Open, World Team Championship in France and World Open in Cayman Islands,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rodzali, said Nicol was the first athlete to be conferred with such an award because she really deserved it as she had achieved numerous successes at international squash tournaments. “She (Nicol) represents our youths in our country today and she has inspired our youth and our workforce (RMAF) to be like her. She has shown great dedication and hard work, besides a never-say-die attitude to become world champion in squash,” he added.

Rodzali said RMAF hoped that the award would spur more youths in the country to join the air force, and also hoped that the future generation would emulate the hard work and dedication showed by Nicol in achieving success.

National men’s shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei was earlier awarded the honorary lieutenant commander rank by the Royal Malaysian Navy Volunteer Reserve last July. — Bernama

Yakeb Salur Bantuan Kepada Datuk M. Chandran Dan D. Nadarajan

KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Sept (Bernama) -- Yayasan Kebajikan Atlet Kebangsaan (Yakeb) akan menanggung sepenuhnya kos rawatan dan rawatan susulan kepada bekas pemain bola sepak kebangsaan Datuk M Chandran yang baharu pulih daripada serangan angin ahmar.

Yakeb, dalam satu kenyataan Rabu, berkata Chandran yang diserang angin ahmar Julai lepas, masih dalam keadaan lemah serta memerlukan bantuan kerusi roda untuk bergerak dan kini menjalani rawatan fisioterapi seminggu sekali di Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur.

Beberapa bekas pemain bola sepak seperti Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Minhat, Reduan Abdullah, Datuk Khaidir Buyong, Zulkifli Norbit dan Kamarulzaman Yussoff menziarah beliau di kediamannya di Ampang Jaya, semalam.

"Saya sebenarnya terkejut, ia satu perasaan yang tidak dapat saya gambarkan apabila menerima lawatan daripada rakan-rakan yang sudah lama tidak bertemu, gembira dan tersentuh apabila mendapat tahu bahawa mereka mengambil tahu tentang keadaan saya.

"Tan Sri (Ghani) seperti biasa suka bergurau dan kenakan saya. Zulkifli pernah main bersama saya, Khaidir pernah dilatih saya, kami berborak, bercerita tentang kisah-kisah lama, ia cukup menyeronokkan apabila dapat berjumpa seperti ini, mengembalikan nostalgia silam," kata Chandran.

Former Olympian Randir passes away

HOCKEY stalwart and former Olympian, Randir Singh, passed away on Sept 15, leaving behind memories of a disciplinarian for those who were coached by him.

Randir represented the country in the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Malaysia finished eighth from 16 teams. He was a midfielder, and the army man is fondly remembered by veteran coach C. Paramalingam.

"He played alongside the likes of Khairuddin Zainal, Takbir Ahmad, A. Belvantheran, N. Sri Shanmuganathan and Brian Sta Maria in the Munich Olympics.

"And he was also the assistant coach during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The thing I remember most about him is that he was a disciplinarian who, in his coaching days, was responsible for making the LA team physically at their best," said Paramalingam.

After Randir retired as a Warrant Officer I, he ventured into business in Klang.

"We used to meet occasionally after he retired from the army and talked about how he made the players run up the Sungai Besi hill (high gradient) where all the players would complain and struggle to finish.
"But later on, they thanked him for the physical training which made them better players," said Paramalingam.

Demise of Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH, OCM Honorary Life President & IOC Honorary Member in Malaysia

It is with deep regret that the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) announces the demise of Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH, today at the age of 88.

Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH, who was once the Sports Minister of Malaysia had contributed greatly towards the Olympic Movement in Malaysia. 

He was the President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia from 1976 to 1998 and further served as the Honorary Life President from 1998 to 2012. He was elected as an IOC Member in 1978 before becoming an IOC Honorary Member in 2004. 

He had held several important portfolios regionally such as Honorary Life President of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (1977-2012), Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia (1982-1986), Vice President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (1982-1988), Vice President of the Islamic Solidarity Sport Federation (1985-1994) and Vice President of the General Association of the Asian Sports Federation (1988-1998).

As a great Football enthusiast, Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH also played a key role in promoting Football in Malaysia and internationally. 

He was President of the Football Association of Malaysia (1976-1983), President of the Asian Football Confederation (1978-1994), Vice President of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (1982-1990) and Honorary Executive Member of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (1990-2012). Besides that, he also served as President of the Malaysian Cricket Association (1969-1990) and President of the Malaysia Taekwondo Association (1987-1999).

Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH’s demise leaves a void in the Olympic Movement and a great loss to the sporting world.

The Olympic Council of Malaysia expresses its deepest condolences to Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH’s family and may his soul rest in peace. Al-Fatihah.



- Biography
- Hall of Fame
- IOC Member
- Arkib Negara
- Bernama (ENG)
- Bernama (BM)

Hamzah's Demise A Big Loss For Malaysia - Zolkples

LONDON, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has lost a sports icon following the death Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah, said National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong.

"His passing is a huge loss for Malaysian sports. During his lifetime, Tan Sri Hamzah was an influential figure in the sports world.

"He was also highly respected locally and worldwide. His loss is also very sentimental for the NSC because it was through him that the NSC was created," he told Bernama here.

According to Zolkples, the NSC was the brainchild of Hamzah when the latter held the post of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 1971 till 1973.

Hamzah, a National sports icon and Olympic Council of Malaysia's Honorary Life President, passed away at 3.30pm today at his house in Staffield Country Resort, Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, due to old age.

Tan Sri Hamzah – the face of Malaysian sports

KUALA LUMPUR: One of the country’s iconic sports leader Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah passed away yesterday but he will be distinctively remembered for laying the foundations for Malaysia’s sporting excellence.

The soft-spoken Hamzah passed away at 3.30pm due to old age. He was 88.
His demise was met with sadness as the Malaysian sports fraternity reminisced about his great leadership qualities, popularity and friendly nature during his time as a remarkable sports administrator over the past six decades.

Fatherly figure: Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah (left) congratulating Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar after the OCM elections in 1998. Tunku Imran beat Hamzah for the presidency.

 

He had held every important position in sports, from Sports Minister to the president of five major sports bodies – the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Asian Football Federation (AFC), Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) and Malaysia Taekwondo Association (MTA).

He was also the vice-president of FIFA and an honorary Inter-national Olympic Committee (IOC) member.
OCM president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar described the late Hamzah as “the face of Malaysian sports”.

“He was one of the high profile people in sports and also very popular at the international level. Even now, members of the IOC will be asking about him ... he surely made an impression,” said Tunku Imran, who is also the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

“He was the one who brought me into the OCM and supported me. He gave me a position of responsibility. I was his deputy in the cricket association. He was almost like a father figure to me.
“My father and the late Tan Sri Hamzah were good friends and studied at the Malay College. They used to play squash, tennis and football – a very athletic man he was.”

Another sports icon, Tan Sri Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan, said that Malaysian sports enjoyed one of its best years under Hamzah’s leadership as OCM president.

“Under him, both football and hockey qualified for the Olympic Games in 1970s,” said former top Asian sprinter Jegathesan.

“He was clearly a sports leader and was very passionate about football and cricket. His long record in leading different sports organisations is commendable. He gave a lot of focus on development and we are now enjoying the foundation that was laid under his stewardship.”

Jegathesan said he would be always indebted to Hamzah too.

Hamzah was the man behind Jegathesan’s involvement in sports administration when the former athlete was considering devoting full attention to his career in medicine.

“The late Tan Sri played a pivotal role in encouraging me to go into sports administration and led me to hold a position in the doping committee after my retirement. He came looking for me when I was a doctor at the general hospital. The rest was history,” said Jegathesan, who then accompanied Hamzah to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich as the team doctor.

Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM) secretary Chan Foong Keong recalled an incident when Hamzah helped him out of a predicament.

“It was in 1972 and he was the Sports Minister then. We were hosting the first ever non-Chinese table tennis championships in Malaysia but we could not find a venue to cater for 300 participants,” said Foong Keong.

“But Tan Sri Hamzah was kind and friendly. He did not turn me down when I approached him. He allowed us to use Stadium Negara for a meagre fee of RM100 per day. He was an understanding leader, indeed.”