Malaysia no longer host of paralympic swim meet after ban on Israelis

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has been stripped of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships after Putrajaya’s decision to ban athletes from Israel from taking part.

The decision was announced today by the International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons on Sunday (Jan 27).

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“All world championships must be open to all eligible athletes and nations to compete safely and free from discrimination.

“When a host country excludes athletes from a particular nation for political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative but to look for a new championships host.

“The paralympic movement has, and always will be, motivated by a desire to drive inclusion, not exclusion,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

The championships, a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, had been scheduled to be held in Kuching between July 29 and Aug 4.

The IPC said a new venue would be sought for the same dates, although there might have to be some flexibility in the light of circumstances.

Malaysia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, announced this month that it would bar Israelis from any event it would host.

Putrajaya’s decision had earned criticism from some countries, but Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has defended Malaysia’s ban on the Israeli athletes, likening it to US President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

“Every country has the right to accept or refuse entry of anybody,” Dr Mahathir told a press conference in Vienna last Tuesday.

“You can see that in America now, they are erecting a very high wall to prevent Mexicans from going to America,” he said.

“We have the same idea that people who are undesirable for our country will be kept out of our country,” Dr Mahathir added.

Last week, Israel said the decision was motivated by “rabid anti-Semitism” on Dr Mahathir’s part.

But the Malaysian prime minister pushed back against accusations of anti-Semitism, saying: “It is my right to tell them they have been doing a lot of wrong things. Why can’t we say anything against Israel, against the Jews?”

The IPC said its decision stressed the importance of keeping sport and politics separate, but it also reinforced its commitment to fundamental moral and ethical principles that encompass inclusivity of all eligible Para athletes and nations to compete at its events.

Around 600 swimmers from 60 nations were expected to take part in Kuching, with more than 160 world titles up for grabs. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT