Citing the crisis in the Malaysian Paralympic Council which had caused its elections to be postponed, Syed Saddiq said his ministry could not interfere in MPM’s domestic affairs or it will face suspension from the International Paralympic Committee.

“I think it is better for her (Dr Wirdawati) to scrutinise the problems, case by case, before I make (further) comments.

“As for the ministry, our focus is to ensure the wellbeing of our athletes, and if the problems persist, I will ensure that appropriate action will be taken.

“For now, I leave it to the Sports Commissioner, as an independent entity, to solve all the disputes,” he told reporters.

Several sports associations, including the Malaysia Wheelchair Rugby Federation, Malaysia Ice Hockey Federation, Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association and Malaysia Karate Federation are reported to have suffered domestic crises.

Wirdawati was appointed the new Sports Commissioner on July 2 to replace Zaiton Othman whose contract ended on March 8.