The below par performance of the diving squad saw divers failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
MAS secretary-general Andy Low said he met Pandelela yesterday to gather input from the diver but he refused to disclose any details until the investigations are over and after getting the approval of the National Sports Council’s working committee.
“Nothing much (about the interference), once investigations are over and we know exactly what, then we will inform at the next press conference,” he said after a post-mortem meeting to discuss the diving squad’s failure in Doha.
The WAC, which was the final platform to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, saw no Malaysian divers coming even close to the qualifying mark.
The failure of divers in Doha meant only Betrand Rhodict Lises who had already qualified for the men’s 10m platform at the Fukuoka World Cup last year, will represent the country in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Upon the diving squad’s return from Doha, Pandelela when met by reporters claimed there was an “element” that affected the performance of senior and junior divers.
Meanwhile, Low said the federation would tighten the selection process for international competitions and would only consider athletes who achieved the qualifying standards set for the respective events.
“We respect the desire and commitment of athletes who wish to continue but there needs to be positive improvement, qualifying score, and QMS (quality management systems) to be considered for future tournaments. In the past it was the coaches who did the selection.
“We will ensure everybody trains hard. They need to reach the mark, then qualify,” he said adding that the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s (OCM) decision to not send seniors for the SEA Games was a good decision.
He also acknowledged that the performances of Pandelela and Nur Dhabitah Sabri has been “stagnant” since the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Today’s meeting was also attended by representatives from the National Sports Council and National Sports Institute.