(From fifth left) Tang, Chiew, and Kong join the anniversary cake cutting.
SIBU (Feb 20): The Rajang Taekwondo Club (RTC) has officially withdrawn its membership from the Sarawak Taekwondo Association (PTNS), which is the sport’s state governing body.
According to chief coach Thomas Tang, RTC lost confidence in the association’s leadership due to alleged unfair policies and practices.
“As a result, we decided to withdraw from the state taekwondo body effective last Nov 1, 2023,” he said during RTC’s Chinese New Year and 15th anniversary celebration over the weekend.
Tang claimed that for the past 15 years, RTC has asked the association to get the Ministry of Education (MoE) to recognise the outstanding achievements of RTC exponents in various local and international taekwondo tournaments, including the Sarawak Chief Minister Borneo Cup International Taekwondo WT Championship from 2010 to 2022.
He explained the letters of recognition were to acknowledge and appreciate the achievements and contributions of RTC exponents as well as their parents, coaches, and teachers for helping to upgrade the sport.
However, Tang claimed the association did not write to MoE, depriving RTC’s coaches, teachers, and students of merits and benefits.
“Enough is enough and we will not be involved in any PTNS activities thereafter,” he said.
Tang revealed RTC has since joined the Malaysia Kukkiwon Taekwondo Association (MKTA).
He admitted this has meant RTC exponents can no longer represent Sarawak in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) or Sarawak Games (Suksar) as only PTNS affiliates can do so.
He suggested Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah address this serious issue urgently.
“The minister has always strongly emphasised that Sarawak will not play favourites when it comes to the selection of athletes to represent the state and hopefully, he means what he speaks,” Tang said.
He said the sport should never be monopolised by a certain group.
“This is not healthy and it will marginalise the good and potential athletes from helping the state to achieve stellar results when it matters most,” he claimed.
Tang added all athletes are fighting for the same goal, which is to help the state to achieve the best results.
“Indeed, if Sarawak aims to win more gold medals, then all the players should be given a chance to showcase their potential. It should not be limited to just a few favourite athletes that clearly do not portray the true picture and the potential which we have,” he said.
Tang also expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of selection for Sukma 2024 taekwondo athletes as in the past selection exercises were always conducted to pick the best to represent Sarawak.
He questioned whether the athletes were already shortlisted based on their performance at last month’s Suksar 2024 here.
“But Suksar is not open to all taekwondo groups and this may deprive the best athletes and cause them to be sidelined. Winners in Suksar taekwondo events may not be the best in Sarawak,” he claimed.
However, Tang said RTC would remain relevant and continue to fight hard for the sport by participating in both local and international tournaments.
“We are confident that our players will continue to perform well and help bring medals and glory to the state. Our track record is testimony to our performance,” he added.
Among those present were Stanley Chiew, who represented Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker and Lanang MP Alice Lau, and RTC president Kong Siu Ming.