NATIONAL paralympic athlete, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli, missed out on the gold medal when his victory was annulled after he was deemed eliminated for allegedly entering the call room late before the competition started.
According to Team Malaysia's Facebook page , the gold medal was officially awarded to Ukrainian athlete Maksym Koval, who protested after Ziyad's victory.
TeamMalaysia Facebook Source
Astro ARENA reported that the protest involved three athletes, including Ziyad, who were said to be late to the call room before the competition started.
"There were protests from Ukrainian athletes. Ziyad was one of the 3 athletes who were late to enter the call room before the competition started. So, Ziyad's participation was canceled.
"Therefore, Ziyad's participation was canceled. Ziyad's gold victory was canceled immediately. The gold was won by Ukrainian athlete Maksym Koval," Astro ARENA reported .
Earlier, Ziyad unofficially won the second gold medal for the country and broke the world record in the F-20 shot put final, through his third throw, with a record of 17.94 meters.
Malaysian Contingent Officers are currently making an appeal and it is understood it is being discussed by the organizers, according to an Astro ARENA update.
Update Tokyo - Protes drpd Ukraine masih diterima. Counter protest drpd 3 negara akan dibawa ke mesy CDM esok pagi. Kita pertahankan!! Mohon doa rakyat Msia.
— Faizal Azumu (@PejaOfPerak) August 31, 2021
Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu informed that for now, the decision of the organizers on the cancellation of the gold medal of the national shot put champion Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli, has not changed.
However, he said protests from the Malaysian, Australian and Ecuadorian Contingents would be brought to the Chef de Mission (CDM) Meeting of the competing teams, tomorrow morning.
