Suhardi Alias said any internal conflict must first be addressed in accordance with Section 23 of the Sports Development Act, which outlines procedures for handling disputes within sports bodies.

“Section 23 states that every association must resolve disputes among members or with its governing body through its own internal procedures,” Utusan Malaysia quoted him as saying.

“If any party is still dissatisfied after the internal process, they may file a complaint with the parent body.

“If the matter remains unresolved, and if the complainant is a member of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, they may escalate it to the next level.”

Suhardi’s comments come after STTA vice-president Paul Lee today hand-delivered a formal letter of complaint over what he claimed was an unconstitutional leadership takeover during a disputed annual general meeting on May 3.

Lee claimed that the association received no response from the sports commissioner’s office, despite sending seven complaint emails since May 7.

He added that his committee was prepared to escalate the matter to the youth and sports ministry and take legal action if necessary.