DG of National Sports Council of Malaysia advised athletes to be careful in Myanmar during SEA Games about the difficulty in obtaining halal and hygienic food

NSC to athletes: Don’t eat the ‘wrong’ stuff

by ashreena pillai

Be careful of what you eat. That is the message NSC director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong has for the Malaysian contingent heading to the Myanmar SEA Games next month. – Filepic

KUALA LUMPUR: National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong has advised athletes to be careful of what they consume whilst competing at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar next month.

There has been much speculation about the conditions and the difficulty in obtaining halal food at the three cities, Naypyitaw, Yangon and Pathein, which will host sporting events during the Games.

At the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, some athletes fell ill due to poor hygiene and dusty conditions.

Zolkples has warned athletes not take things such as food and hygiene lightly. Instead, he hopes they will take the necessary precautions with regards to their meals and general health for the duration of the 11-day Games.

“We’ve heard about the food situation in Myanmar and we have seen first-hand during our visits how difficult it is to obtain halal food. The athletes should not face any problem at the Games Village, but that doesn’t mean they can throw caution to the wind,” said Zolkples following a meeting regarding the preparation of SEA Games food at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil.

“We will have our officials and dieticians there to oversee the general well-being of the athletes, their meals, lodging and so on but I would advise them to exercise caution with their food intake as well,” said Zolkples.

“They have to make sure that the food they eat is clean and I would advise them to not rely too much on food that can be bought outside the Games Village,” he added.

Besides that, he also advised athletes to be extra cautious when given supplements to prevent any untoward incident.

“They have to always be careful of what they consume and we’re not just talking about banned substances but supplements and food as well,” he added.

Meanwhile, the NSC have offered to provide halal food to the Malaysian delegates including the media who will be covering the Games in Myanmar.

NSC will send eight kitchen staff members to Naypyitaw to meet the demands of providing halal meals during lunch, dinner and supper to the Malaysian delegates.

This will not be the first time the NSC have offered such services. They also provided meal services during the 2007 Games in Korat, Vietnam, and at the 2009 Laos Games.

Faceboo

 

Tags: Bukit Jalil, Burma, Myanmar, National Sports Council, Naypyidaw, Pathein, Southeast Asian Games, Yangon