KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- National karate back-up team head coach R. Sharmendran has been promoted to the frontline as he now temporarily helms the senior squad with immediate effect.
Malaysian Karate Federation (MAKAF) secretary-general Mohd Razlan Shah said it was to fill the vacancy left by Egyptian Tamer Abdelraouf Mohamed Mourssy, whose contract expires at the end of this year.
The job scope for Sharmendran, a four-time SEA Games gold medallist, is not only to monitor the performance of the senior team but also that of the national back-up squad.
"We don't know yet how long Sharmendran can hold this (temporary) position but we will gauge his performance in six months as there will be an important tournament next year before the (2025 Thailand) Sea Games (in December), which is the Southeast Asian Karate Federation (SEAKF) Championships in Brunei next April.
"We believe Sharmendran is capable of shouldering this responsibility based on his experience as a former outstanding karateka and possessing a Level Two coaching certificate," Razlan said after the working committee (JKK) meeting at the National Sports Council (NSC) today.
He added that Sharmendran will be assisted by several coaches, including S. Senthil Kumaran and L. Kunasilan for the senior team while Mohd Hatta Mahamut will handle the backup squad.
Meanwhile, Razlan said MAKAF still does not have a permanent candidate to fill the vacancy left by Tamer and that any decision taken would only be made after seeing Sharmendran's performance in the SEAKF Championships.
"For now, there is no candidate (for permanent head coach)... we will look into that in the next three to six months," he said.
-- BERNAMA
