KUALA LUMPUR: The passing of Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Datuk Abu Samah Abd Wahab, not only brought sad news to the national cycling arena but the loss was also felt at the international level.
The sombre news was shared by MNCF vice president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill who is also a member of the Executive Management Board of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and Secretary General of the Asean Cycling Federation (ACF).
He described the Abu Samah as a very dedicated person who has given everything in 40 years of his life to the development of cycling not only in the country but also at the international level.
“His passing is a great loss to the cycling community and he will be dearly missed by all of us. He was well known for his humility. He was a great mentor to me, great advisor and a fatherly figure who was always there to advise.
“He had served in various capacities in Asian Cycling Confederation including as secretary-general and vice president for many years including as president of Asean Cycling Association since 2001 until 2023,” he said in a statement last night.
Amarjit said when he visited Abu Samah last Friday, even though the deceased looked frail, his thoughts were still on cycling and his work.
Abu Samah breathed his last at the age of 82 at the Hospital Mahkota Melaka at 7 pm on Monday after a year of suffering from Stage 4 prostate cancer.
His remains will be buried at the Kampung Semabok Islamic Cemetery at about noon today.
Abu Samah has held the position of MNCF president since 1990 and made history in the sporting arena of this country when he received the ACF (Asean Cycling Federation) Merit Award last May, thus being the first sports figure in this country to receive the Merit Award from the world governing body – UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale); continental – Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC); and regional – Asean Cycling Federation. – BERNAMA
