Karate Target Reviewed After Events Reduced By SGF

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian karate squad has reviewed its gold medal target for the Laos SEA Games in December, after the SEA Games Federation (SGF) revamped the rules for the sport, two days ago.

National coach P. Arivalagan said the six-gold target had been reduced to four or five from kumite events since the SGF had further reduced the number of events each country can participate.

"Previously each country could compete in six of the nine events contested, so we had set the target at six gold medals, but two days ago, the SGF had changed the ruling.

"Now each country can only compete in five of the seven men's kumite events and four of the six kumite events in the women," Arivalagan told Bernama when contacted here on Thursday.

Arivalagan said the changes in ruling would also affect Malaysia's medal target for the Laos SEA Games.

"I hope the SGF will not change the ruling although the objective of restricting participation is to prevent a certain country from dominating the events," he said.

During the 2007 Korat SEA Games in Thailand, karate were the second biggest contributor towards the Malaysian contingent's gold medal tally, with eight gold medals, behind aquatics with 14, he said.

-- BERNAMA