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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Malaysian athletes and officials at the Commonwealth Games held a minute's silence at their flag-raising Tuesday and plan to wear black armbands at the opening ceremony in memory of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines crash.
The crash over Ukraine killed 298 people, including 44 Malaysians. None of the 180 athletes and 72 officials in Glasgow was directly tied to the victims, team spokesman Mohd Fahmi Omar said.
The Malaysian flag at the athletes' village was raised only to half-staff. Commonwealth Games Federation President Prince Imran, who is Malaysian, called the ceremony "very moving."
Imran said he anticipates that his group will approve the armbands for Wednesday's opening. The Olympics does not allow political statements or messages on team uniforms.
At the Winter Olympics in February, Ukraine's athletes were prohibited from wearing black armbands honoring those who died in violent protests in Kiev. Earlier at the Sochi Games, the IOC reprimanded Norwegian cross-country skiers for wearing black armbands in tribute to an athlete's brother, saying it would violate the Olympic charter.
"The Malaysian delegation has asked for formal approval from the organizing committee," Imran said after a two-day federation congress. "And we expect there will be no issue, particularly for a situation such as this."
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