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Well, not yet anyway. But this is just an accident waiting to happen. This is one sure way to get paintball banned in Malaysia.
Organizer: Pemuda PAS Hulu Kelang
VIP: YB Shaari Sungib
Goggles is on top of the head YB's head. Didn't anybody told him to wear it? Oh, the other two guys were also not wearing any.
That's their 'safety net'. Why even bother?
There are probably a few discussions on this subject in Facebook. The original photos are here.
UPDATED
Poster of the event
Taken from http://paintballhulukelang.blogspot.com/
Inside the WCPPL
9 months ago
15 comments:
*speechless*
Its like a signal telling us the industry and the sport that we love so much is about to go down the drain. Here we are all of us actively trying to promote, contribute and build up something for our sport future and people like this just assisting us to make it worse.
Any ideas on who the organisers, marshalls or suppliers are?
I'm actually quiet surprised that whoever provides the equipments (markers, bunkers, goggles) didn't have a proper netting. Surely everybody should know that by now.
Pat,
From the event poster attached, I couldn't find promoter/supplier's logo for the paintball event.
Hmm...
Aiyaa netting pun tarak,Goggle tu bukanlah sekadar hiasan tapi untuk keselamatan.
Kepada yang organized event nih,plzz take it seriously..(-_-)
Safety 1st my friend!!
Ayr
organiser already stated there, the main question is who are the operator/promoter of the event & where they got their stuff...?
bunkers & jerseys looks familliar (& regular) enuff, but then it could've been bought 2nd hand from the usual main operator.. can start there la if really wanna get to the bottom of this..
checked on the fb album link..they already deleted the pics...too late already =/
now that paintballers are vented, they must give a proper explanation for this.
I'm not surprised if he did that. At least, some of the photos are here to keep reminding ourselves of keeping the game safe for everyone.
whole album was d/loaded by someone already, on the very same nite it's posted...
I was present at the event so am compelled to add to the comments. Now despite the above average number of comments posted thus far none have actually dissected as to what the issue really is and what it means to paintball in Malaysia.
First off - the burden of responsibility. There are 4 parties involved in an event. So who among them were responsible for ensuring the safety of the event?
1. The Organiser?
2. The Contractor?
3. The Marshals?
4. The Participants (players)?
I'm not going to answer my own question and leaving it to the thinking public to mull over it.
The second question which I am more interested in is - assuming the event is deemed unsafe, is it only natural that it'd be called off? Common sense would say yes but reality isn't that clear cut.
What I do want to shine light on is the nature of these events and why it's important to have them. How it's contributing to the growth of the game (yea - I refuse to call PB a sport for now). And why in it's current form will not always work as intended.
This event was a grassroots program. It is desirable because of the fact that it introduced paintball to the public who would not normally be exposed to the game. This is needed. Existing players will only grow older as time goes by, without injection of fresh blood the community will only shrink smaller and smaller until PB will become a niche recreational game once again. Events like these are contributing to the industry. Why?
Because those who are in it already aren't doing their share of the work. How many field operators are effectively promoting the game to new players? How many vendors are doing the same? How much of their profits are reinvested into promoting at grassroots level? Where are the RM500 marker/mask/tank starter packs that is available in the US for entry level speedballers? Why are new players being force fed RM4000 for a basic kit to play in D3? How many D1 teams and players actively bring in 10 new people every weekend to shoot paint?
The pivotal reason why 'external' events like these help is that they are funneling outside cash into the industry and targeting the most vital of all demographics. To the uninitiated public. Which no other party involved in PB can claim to be doing well. For now atleast.
And here lies the root cause for my earlier question. "... assuming the event is deemed unsafe, is it only natural that it'd be called off?"
Who are the organiser in this case? A youth wing of a political party.
Do they know what it means when we say chrono? 300fps safety limit. 13feet netting? Dorito? Snake?
Simple answer is a big fat NO.
Now since those who are involved in PB aren't/can't/won't/don't contribute as much when it comes to grassroots programs it is only natural to have people who have no clue what safe paintballing is be organising things like these. Because if these guys don't do it - no one else will.
We now know 2 things.
1. Grassroots events like these in the future will most likely be organised by people who do not understand PB. And the number of these events will increase. (But that can be a good thing).
2. When the event is incomplete or unsafe, it will still go on. Why?
Because A) they have no clue that it's not right. B) Safety is not their prerogative. Participation is.
So the real issue is not why did this event continued on. We already know why. The issue is, how things like these can be averted in the future.
Or is it even possible?
And if you think the MPBF can regulate this in the future, please explain how you'll get the funds to employ 50+ people to enforce the rule all over East and West Malaysia. 50 enforcement employees is 3.5 people per state average which is probably not enough. 50 employees at RM1,000 monthly salary is RM0.6 Million per annum.
Anyone knows where we can view the full album? I just learnt of this matter after they removed the photos, would like to see how the event was carried out.
gasjatt: Other than the photos posted here, the others are just group photos and self portraits.
Interesting view Kine. Great input.
You said this was a grass root event. Fine, but I guess the organizer didn't do their homework thoroughly. A simpler way to do these kind of events is to approach already established promoters such as MAPAAC or Xtionpaintball. They have the facilities and manpower to handle it. Between them, they have organized private events with few hundreds players at a time and with regards of safety. And you have MPRO and MM to help refereeing the games. You will also be briefed on the safety aspects of the game, the rules and basic paintball introductions. You can also have a Q&A sessions to further help the new players understand more of the game. For a mere few hundred ringgits each, they can have a great tournament in a competitive and safe environment.
By the way, Nemesis paintball club had their X-Tour paintball tournament back in 2008 to promote paintball to new players. And it was a success. I wonder why they haven't continued it till today (or they still do?).
Back to the issue highlighted, what concerns most people are why are the supplier of the event (supplying playing gears and bunkers) didn't offer them the proper guidelines in how to conduct a tournament. Basic safety measures wasn't observed. And definitely there weren't any briefing regarding the mandatory use of goggles when near a 'live' marker. The poor YB is an example how this whole event failed.
In the future, for any PB events held, hopefully there will be MPBF standard guidelines that needed to be observed. This will guarantee the basic of paintball safety will always be a high priority.
yes, 4 parties involved, & who are responsible...?
The Organiser? - yes, good intention & effort, but it's also organiser's responsibility to ensure activity is safe to avoid any unwanted 'aftermath'... have to see the big picture in the long run if really want the game/sports to sustain. they are not in the industry so obviously doesn't really know these things - can't blame them for their ignorance...
The Contractor? - obviously the one with the know-how here... u don't just call any tom, dick or harry to build u a building, right...? they are the one who suppose to know the industry inside-out. so in paintball, these usually operators/promoters who have or know where to get a mobile unit to operate a field. they also know the games & rulings well. therefore, being the appointed consultant for the project, it's their responsibility to advice the organiser on the safety requirement of the game... err.. in this case it's more like a CON & INSULT job...
The Marshals? - these are the ppl that should be the first to voice out on unsafe things coz they're the one enforcing the game rulings, which mainly written with safety on mind so everyone can enjoy the game without any unwanted (avoidable) accidents or fights over minor disputes. why didn't they say/do anything..? takut lain kali org tak panggil kerja dah kot...?
The Participants (players) - the noobs obviously knows nothing but then one with experience should be the one guiding them on what's right & what's wrong..
if sharing IS really caring, we must share ur knowledge in how to make it better..
btw, this is not the first/only intro game for newbies being organised, tons of it been organised by big & small organisations over the years - 3on3, 5-man, 7-man even 10-man games were held everywhre in promoting the game to the mass.
Organiser got conned.
The safety netting was there you see. But no poles.
The bunkers were there. But no anchors.
The markers were there (a few short) but no masks.
They didn't even provide the organiser with a field layout and all the other administrative details.
Poor marshalls had to piece everything together just so the event could go on.
Went out and bought makeshift anchors for the bunkers. Drew up a layout and placed the bunkers best as they could without a grid. Wrapped safety netting around the spectator / player's tents. Rented out their masks. Scrounged for spare markers etc.
Luckily the organiser have not paid in full and have withheld the balance of the payment.
Still - I fear things like these will become more commonplace as PB catches on outside the traditional circles and into the public domain.
I mean right now people go to established fields to do a birthday PB party etc. What if people started becoming smarter and lazier by hiring 'Contractors' to do it near their local playground / lakes so that they save themselves the hassle of traveling?
Who will be around to make sure such events are monitored?
All it takes is for one birthday boy to get his eyes shot out while eating cake...
stupid organizer......
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