By Tony Mariadass
Pictures by: Farhan Najib Yusoff
Panther Athletic Club in Ipoh is among the few athletics club who
have stood against time to still remain relevant and active.
Gone are the days when athletics clubs were in abundance and was
part and parcel of the athletics scene of Malaysia.
In fact, athletics clubs played a key role in the development of
athletes and the sport clubs like Jets, Lights, Swift, Taiping Wonders, Kebas, Malay Sports
Club, Taiping Prisons Club, Pakat, Pelanduk, Prisons, Government Services Sport
Club, YMCA, Jets Sports, Kilat Club, Hindu Youth Organisation (HYO), Harimau and a horde of
other lesser known clubs, were the sources of athletes for the nation in 60s,
70s and early 80s.
But while many clubs have disappeared over time, Panther formed
on 6th March 1978, through the initiative of former national 400m
runner K. Jayabalan, has managed to remain in existence through dedicated
athletics officials who have the passion for the sport.
What started off as a just a group of sports enthusiast, merely
gathering almost every evening for the purpose of training and self-satisfaction
without any coach in the early 70s, Panther Athletics Club has become an iconic
club who have produced a fair share of top athletes over the years.
It was a Mr M. Jothi who suggested to form a club and so was
Panther Sports Club ir Kelab Sukan Hairmau Kumbang was born and registered with
the Registrar of Societies, Perak.
In early 1990, the club changed its name to Panyher Athletic
Club or Kelab Olahraga Panther which
reflected the core activity of the club. In 2008 the club officially registered
with the office of the Commissioner of Sports Malaysia.
The pioneer members behind the formation of the club besides
Jayabalan and Jothi, were A. Kandiah, L. Paramesivam, P. Ponnusamy, P.
Muthusamy, R. Letchumanan, Rethna Pandian, V. Dewi, Pethan, J. David, S.
Thevadass, L.A. Nathan, D. Solaimuthu, A. Manaoharan and S. Manogaran all of
whom were state or national athletes. The first president of the club was the late
R. G. Kolansaisamy.
And that the club has managed to survive without much funding or
sponsorship, but merely on low subscription where working members pay RM20 a
year and students RM10 per year.
The club has about 100 members comprising athletes, coaches and
officials, at have at least 40 active athletes training daily at the Taman D. R. Seenivasagam
or the Perak Stadium.
The club has from time to time raised money through football league
games, hockey 6-a-side, badminton tournaments, walkathon, jogathon, inter-club
relays, cross-country and dinner.
Senior club members also fork out money for travelling for
competitions and purchase of attire.
“It cost us about RM10,000 to manage the club which includes
playing for travelling to competitions, attire, drinks during training and some
pocket allowance, lodging and food expenses when we travel for competition,”
said the 69-year-old Jayabalan who is the current president of the club from
1981.
“We also have some good Samaritans who support the club from
time to time.
“We also have to thank the State Sports Council who use our club
as a training base and support us whenever possible by allowing us to use the
Perak Stadium for training and give some subsidies from time to time.
“All revenue collected through fund raising activities were only
used for the development of athletics, welfare of athletes mainly in purchasing
attires, shoes, spikes and stop watched,” attested Jayabalan.
Panther Club does not have a clubhouse and its official address
is Jayabalan’s home address.
“We hope to have a club house in time to come and hope a sponsor
can come forward to rent at least a house to call our home.”
The club also has played its part in securing employment for its
members with employers like Malayan Banking, Bank Simpanan Nasional, UMBC,
Public Bank, CIMB, Ipoh City Hall, Armed Forces and Police.
Jayabalan also paid tribute to a group of coaches with their
dedicated services to have kept the club alive.
“Volunteer coaches like Manogaran, Kaliyae Selvan and Josephine
Mary have kept the club alive with their dedication to conduct trainings
without fail, especially when I was away in Kuala Lumpur as one of the national
coach with National Sports Council,” said Jayabalan whose contract was not
renewed last year and has since returned to be involved fulltime with the club.
Among the top athletes who have come through the Panther Club
include former national athlete Josephine and her husband Samson Vallabouy,
walker T. Sivakumar, 400m runner Rathna Dewi, Selva Kumaran, Rohayati Omar,
Carol Lucia Alfred, Onn Yee Chan, Amran Raj, S. Thipen, by Mohd Zaiful Zainal Abidin, Zafril Mohd
Zusaini and S. Narendran
At the 1987 Jakarta Sea Games the 4x400m women relay quartet won
gold for the country had all four runners (Rathna, Jospehine, Oon and Rohayati)
from Panthers Club but Rohyati was replaced by
sprinter Sajaratul Hamzah at the eleventh hour because of
injury. At the 2007 Korat Sea Games the men’s quartet (Amran,
Thipen, Zaiful and Zafril) all from the club also won the 4 X 400m gold medal.
That were one of the many crowning achievements of the club.
The newer breed of athletes who had excelled to help Perak
emerge champion in the 2014 Malaysia Games in Perlis include Josephine and
Samson’s daughters Shereen (national athlete) and Jocelyn (400m),
Araavin
Thevar 100/200m), Jegan Arumugamm(400m/800m), Shantini Kaliaye Selvan (400m),
Sharmila Sendrasegaran (100m/200m), Ezwan (400m), Mohd Zairi Yaakob (100m/Long
Jump), Zaleha Aziziah (100m/200m), S. Maheswaran (400m/800m), Dhamadeshan
Rameshm(400m/800m), Gauttam Raja Rao (400m), Piravin Thanabal (400m), Pirvin
Raj (discus/shot putt), Yogeswaran Muniandy (400m), Rishitharan Achari (3,000m
steeplechase), Mahatir Haidir Ali (5,000m/10,000m), Meveeqhen Ravichandran
(shot putt/discus). Rubneswaran Sellappan (100m) and Logames Thilaganathan
(100m/200m).
Indeed Panther Club are among the few clubs who have kept the
athletics club tradition alive. Others include former national runner Nordin
Jadi’s athletics club in Johor and several other former Olympian athletes like
S. Sabapathy, P. Peyadesa and former national middle distance runner M.
Ramachandran who conduct athletics coaching in Seremban, Penang and Malacca
respectively.
That the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) recently in move to encourage more club
based athletics decided to allow clubs to compete as an clubs to be
established.
However, Jayabalan expressed his fear that the clubs better
athletes will be asked to represent the state leaving the clubs with the
younger and inexperienced athletes.
“But still it is a good move on the part of MAF and at although
we probably will lose our better athletes to the State, at least we have an
opportunity to expose our younger athletes. It will also see a wider base of
athletes competing at the national championship,” said Jayabalan.
Panther Athletic Club is indeed a shining example of a club who
have survived through sheer passion and dedication of athletics loving
officials and their records of achievement speaks volume of their success.
Current Panther Athletic Club Committee:
President: K. Jayabalan
Deputy President: M. Pulantheran
Vice-President 1: Samson Vallabuoy
Vice-President 11: S. Manogaran
Secretary: Latchumanan Manickam
Treasurer: L. Amalanathan
Committee members: A. Kandiah, Josephine Mary, Kaliyae Selvan,
Raja Rao
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