KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — In a final attempt to get answers to his son's exclusion from the Malaysian Paralympic swimming team, Walter Lee, father of national para swimmer Zy Lee Kher said he has yet to be told about the selection processes that led to his son's exclusion.

He said he has been sending texts and messages to the authorities in charge and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh but has yet to receive any clarification.

“I have written a formal letter stating the situation and filed a complaint to the dispute committee, Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) and Hannah Yeoh. Everything is done according to protocol.

“This is my last resort and plea as a father and citizen that’s why I’m coming to all of you,” Lee said today during a press conference this afternoon.

Lee said he was not privy to the selection processes used by The Malaysian Para Swimming Association (PREPMA) and how they came to their conclusion that Zy would be left out for Imaan Aiman Redzuan and Nur Syaiful Zulkafli.

Zy competes in the S5 and SB4 categories (for physical impairments) and is ranked 7th in the 200m freestyle S5, 13th in the 100m freestyle S5, and 12th in the 100m breaststroke SB4.

He said Imaan, in the S14 category (for intellectual impairments), is ranked 17th in the 100m backstroke but despite qualifying for three events, his son Zy’s spots have been given to Imaan, who has only qualified for one.

Athletes can participate in events without meeting the qualification standards through a Bipartite slot.

Zy was given one however, this wasn’t required for Zy, as he had already secured qualification in three events.

Despite this, Zy and his father made numerous inquiries via calls and emails regarding his Paralympic status but received no clear responses.

In July, they were notified by the selection committee that Zy had been replaced by another athlete. Both PCM and PREPMA explained that the selection for the Paris Paralympics was based on the potential to win medals for the country, and the Bipartite slot application was not successful.

Lee said today that he was perplexed at how Thailand which only had two qualified athletes will send five para swimmers to Paris while Malaysia with three slots is only sending two.

“First and foremost the selection criteria and processes can be downloaded online, there’s a handbook. Now Thailand had five athletes qualified for Paris but were only given two slots. However, they are now able to send all five to Paris.

“We have three allocations, why couldn’t we have gotten all three to go,?" he asked.

Lee urged the authorities to be more transparent with how they made their decisions.

Zy was born with no right leg, a left leg with three toes, half a right arm, and a full left arm. The 17-year-old began swimming at the age of six. He has won numerous awards.

PCM President Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin has publicly condemned Lee’s actions. He said it is damaging to the sport and association and breached the National Sports Council’s (NSC) athlete code of conduct.

Megat criticised Walter, who is also an executive member at PREPMA, for allegedly misusing his position and stirring controversy.

Megat insisted that athletes are evaluated based on their timing, not their rankings.

The Paris Paralympics is from August 28 until September 8, 2024.