“There was a clear precedent that a warning could have been given instead of outright disqualification,” Khairy said in an Instagram story this morning.

He cited the men’s keirin final during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where there were two false starts.

He said the first instance involved Great Britain’s Jason Kenny and Azizulhasni, whereas the second instance involved German rider Joacheim Eilers. All three were judged to have overtaken the derny – a motorised bicycle used as a pacer.

Khairy said he recalled the incident as he was in the pit of the velodrome with Malaysian team manager Amarjit Singh and coach John Beasley.

He said he remembered telling Amarjit that Malaysia was lucky that Azizulhasni was not the only one who overtook the derny.

“The judges will not dare disqualify the Western cyclists. Sure enough, all were given a warning but were allowed to start the final,” he said.

Kenny won gold in the event and Azizulhasni, dubbed the “Pocket Rocketman”, took home bronze.

Azizulhasni took to Facebook today to explain the events that led to his disqualification at the Paris Games.

He said it could have been due to two factors: he was being continuously blocked by a French rider, and the derny moving at a speed of only 40kmh to 45kmh, “not at the speed it should (be doing) and did not accelerate as usual”.

He also said the Malaysian team explained the situation to the jury and requested them to review the video of the race and the results, but they “chose to stick with the decision (disqualification)”.