Ministry approves upgrade of SMK Gunung Rapat race track used by Muhammad Azeem

Perak Youth, Sports, Communication and Multimedia Committee chairman Khairul Shahril Mohamed said that Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu personally delivered the good news himself in a phone call yesterday.

"We have been asking for the upgrade for a long time. The minister (Ahmad Faizal) informed that the application had been approved. This is important to make it easier for national athletes to continue training with the coaches here.

"We provide this facility as a benchmark and we don't want to be seen as a constraint (to success)," he said when met in a ceremony today.

Yesterday, Ahmad Faizal said his ministry was considering upgrading the race track at the sports cluster school to produce more talented athletes with great potential in athletics.

Meanwhile, Khairul Shahril said the commitment from the Nastional Sports Council (NSC) received by Muhammad Azeem, such as allowance payments, should be continued if he has ambitions to train and study abroad in the future.

"I have asked the NSC to refine some of the commitments that we need to implement. If he has to train or study abroad, the council must live up to its commitment. If there is an increase (in allowances), it needs to be considered because we want him to remain with the Perak contingent.

"Pendapat saya eloklah Muhammad Azeem belajar di luar negara seperti di Amerika Syarikat kerana mempunyai kepakaran dalam bidang sains sukan dari konteks olahraga yang dilihat lebih baik di sana," katanya.

Muhammad Azeem, 18, mencipta sejarah dan kejutan apabila meraih tempat kelima di acara akhir Kejohanan Olahraga Remaja Dunia di Cali, Colombia semalam selain memecahkan rekod 100 meter kebangsaan dengan catatan 10.09 saat dalam saingan di separuh akhir kejohanan tersebut.

"In my opinion, it is best for Muhammad Azeem to study abroad like in the United States because he has expertise in the field of sports science from the context of athletics which is more established there," he said.

Muhammad Azeem, 18, created history and sprung a surprise when he finished fifth in the men's 100 metre (m) final of the World Junior Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia yesterday, in addition to breaking the national 100m record by clocking 10.09 secs in the semi-finals.