PHNOM PENH, May 3 — A male jujitsu athlete is expected to contribute Malaysia's first gold at the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, this Saturday (May 6).
Chef-de-mission (CDM) to the 2023 SEA Games Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali said the combat sports athlete is a gold prospect at this biennial Games.
"We expect that after the official opening ceremony this Friday, the next day there will be jujitsu events, I hope he delivers gold, God willing," he told reporters after attending the ceremony to welcome the arrival of the 2023 SEA Games athletes at the Morodok Techo National Sports Complex, earlier today.
The jujitsu camp is counting on athletes Adam Akasyah and Soo Yan Wei to shoulder the national challenge in Cambodia.
In the 2021 edition that took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, the national jujitsu team brought home two medals, a silver in the men's 69 kilogrammes (kg) event through Adam, while female exponent Bless Khoon Yin Yeap won bronze in the 48kg event.
Meanwhile, Mohd Nasir said close to 300 of the total 677 athletes of the national contingent have arrived in Cambodia to compete in this 32nd edition of the SEA Games.
The national contingent is fully prepared to compete in Cambodia, and he expressed satisfaction with the medical services provided by the organisers which were already available for the athletes including for those who wanted to get physiotherapy and psychological help.
Mohd Nasir added that so far there has been no issue of transportation or halal food raised by the national contingent since they arrived here a few days ago.
"They (the national contingent) seem to be satisfied with the food provided and I even met the head chef of Filipino food at the sports village who had handled the 2019 SEA Games in Manila.
"However, he felt a little upset at not being able to prepare more halal food because the ingredients are difficult to find here," he said.
Earlier, the ceremony to welcome the arrival of the 2023 SEA Games athletes saw the flags of all competing countries being raised followed by the playing of their respective national anthems.
The 2023 SEA Games, which officially begins on May 5, ends on May 17.
— Bernama
