Malaysian cyclist faces action over ‘Save Gaza’ protest at Commonwealth Games

As Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang made it to the quarterfinals of the men's cycling event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow yesterday, two words which appeared on his gloves did not sit well with the Games authorities.

As he reached the finishing line, his fists with the message "Save Gaza", a reference to the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territories which have so far killed over 800, were shown to the cameras.

Commonwealth Games Federation said the incident could be in breach of a rule avoiding "politics" in the Games, and said it will “contact the Malaysian chef de mission to discuss the incident and take any action," reported the Associated Press.

On his Twitter and Facebook fan page, Azizulhasni, who has close to 40,000 Twitter followers and more than 200,000 likes, posted pictures of his plea for the Palestinians.

"Alhamdulillah won my 1st round, 1/4 tomorrow against Kiwi but team sprint qualify first this evening. Plz make doa," he tweeted in a post which has been retweeted some 1,100 times at press time, with many wishing him well for his race today.

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