Malaysia faces a possible ban from hosting international table tennis events after it failed to grant visas to Israeli athletes, a month after barring windsurfers from the country, according to the Olympic Council of Malaysia.
The council said in a statement Friday that the government has yet to decide on whether to grant visas to Israel participants in the World Team Table Tennis Championships in capital Kuala Lumpur next month.
It called on the government to adhere to the “sporting spirit” and resolve issues about the granting of visas to avoid a possible ban on Malaysia hosting international sport events – as suggested by a recent report quoting the International Table Tennis Federation.
In the short statement, the Council’s secretary-general said that the participation of Israeli teams in sporting events in Malaysia was not “something new” and should be addressed immediately.
“At least the Youth and Sports Ministry should call up the Israel delegation and the actual representatives for a meeting here,” Low Beng Choo said. “A solution can only be derived if all parties sit down for such a predicament.”
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