During a press conference, IPC spokesperson Craig Spence justified the decision by saying that the judges had considered there was no good reason
for this delay.
Mohamed Ziyad Zalkafli, 31, was commissioned to compete and won the gold medal on Tuesday in the F20 class, which is for athletes with intellectual disabilities. This was his second title after the Rio Games.
Officials finally decided to disqualify the Selangor native, along with two other athletes, due to being late to the call room. The gold medal was finally handed to Ukrainian Maxim Koval.
Craig Pence said the latecoms made it clear that they didn’t hear the call or that the announcement was made in a language they didn’t understand, noting that other athletes were able to present themselves on time.
The decision angered Malaysian Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who tried it shameful
Tuesday, on Twitter.
It goes against the spirit of the Paralympics. It’s a gold medal and a stolen record
, he wrote.
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