MALAYSIAN athletics has long been a theatre of intrigue, controversy and, at one time, par excellence. Few figures embody this complex landscape more than Datuk Karim Ibrahim.

Since narrowly defeating N.A. Baskaran for the secretary’s post in the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) elections in 1993, Karim has survived suspensions, ousters and controversies, only to return time and again to the decision-making table.