Government Hopes To Grow Sports Industry And Improve Talent Development Programme
"It is a huge industry, but not many people are aware of it," said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
By Jeremy Ng — 11 Oct 2021, 05:27 PM
In an effort to grow the sports industry in Malaysia, the government recently outlined a few key initiatives
During the National Sports Day celebrations held by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) last weekend, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob highlighted plans to increase women's participation in sports, discover new talents, and generate economic growth through the sports sector.
"We hope to show people that it is possible to generate substantial income from sports," said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu
According to the minister, many are still unaware of the possibilities offered by the sports industry. This is why he hopes to change this through better support and awareness, which could indirectly help generate self-income for athletes and boost the country's economic growth.
Ultimately, the goal is to create more opportunities for Malaysians to earn a comfortable living while pursuing their dreams in sports.
Faizal also believes that the ministry will be able to focus on the welfare of athletes, especially if they can generate a big income from the sports industry
"I always remind our current (batch of) top athletes that now is the time to monetise their popularity. Their (personal) brand can bring profits not only for themselves but the sport they represent," said Faizal.
"Of course, we also care greatly about the welfare of our former athletes, and we often encourage and also guide them to be involved in businesses within the sports industry," he added.
To help find prospective athletes for the country, the ministry launched an all-new Talent Identification and Development Programme (MyTID)
Through a partnership with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and teachers in schools, MyTID will utilise technology to help the ministry identify students talented in sports, from as young as seven years old.
"Teachers will be able to key in information about students with potential into the database. For example, if the ministry wants to find a student, aged below 12, who can clock 12 seconds in the 100m event, we would be able to find information on the student with just a single click," Faizal added.
The programme will also involve 500 trained and experienced coaches known as Talent Eagles.
On top of that, the ministry wants to help 1,968 sports-related business operators affected by COVID-19 to restart their businesses
According to Faizal, discussions have been ongoing with Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz to find ways to assist sports-related business operators.
He hopes that Budget 2022, which will be tabled on 29 October, would include measures to help these groups.
