KUALA LUMPUR – Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman should not bear full responsibility for allegedly “snatching” another participant’s victory during a triathlon event last Sunday.
Instead, Eventure Global, the organisers of the 113 Triathlon Desaru 2024, also share responsibility for the oversight that has sparked controversy within Malaysia’s triathlon community.
Eventure Global, a sports event management company based in Singapore, organised the 113 Triathlon Desaru 2024.
According to a reliable source, the organisers are also at fault for allowing Syed Saddiq to switch to the running event despite not completing the 90km cycling distance.
Furthermore, as a participant, Syed Saddiq, like others, would normally check the official results on the organiser’s website upon crossing the finish line.
Therefore, that was what happened when Syed Saddiq checked the results and saw that he had secured third place. In addition, he was also invited onto the stage to receive the trophy.
However, several hours later, after other participants questioned Syed Saddiq’s victory, the organisers abruptly reversed their decision, labelling him as DNF (did not finish) on the Checkpointspot.asia race timing provider website.
“The organisers may be trying to ride on Syed Saddiq’s popularity at this time, especially since he just completed a 200km run last week.
“In a triathlon event, you’re required to complete each discipline’s distance. For cycling, if he didn’t complete the three loops (90km), why did the organisers allow him to switch to the running event?
“Once the organisers identified the issue, they should have rectified it immediately. When you participate in such events, upon reaching the finish line, you don’t know your position until the organisers inform you,” said the source.
The source added that Syed Saddiq is also at fault for failing to provide detailed clarification, especially in disclosing data from his sports watch and bicycle.
However, despite all the controversy, Syed Saddiq can still be considered one of the active MPs for being involved in such vigorous activities.
“Many say he ran 200km last week, then participated in a triathlon this week. You need to remember that he ran 200km over 4 to 5 days, not all in one 24-hour period. So he still had time to rest.
“True, he made a mistake by not giving proper explanations and being less transparent, especially to the public. He should have disclosed data from his smartwatch and bicycle to clarify the situation.
“However, we must acknowledge he is among the active MPs, and if he is freed from all this controversy, it’s not impossible for him to finish the race,” the source added.
Scoop sought further comments from the organisers but received no response. – July 10, 2024