KL to host sports industry expo in October

 


The Sports Industry Secretariat, a body under the Youth and Sports Ministry, will host the Sports Industry Expo on Oct 6-9 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

The sports industry in Malaysia has been finally getting the attention it deserves despite conversations about it decades ago.

In 2017, the Malaysian sports industry generated RM18.8 billion. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the same year saw 36,511 people employed in the industry, with wages amounting to RM876 million.

Twentytwo13, a Kuala Lumpur-based news website, had reported in June that a sports industry exposition is set to be held in conjunction with the National Sports Day in October. The article revealed:

The idea (of the expo) is to further promote the sports industry to the masses.

The main objective is to spark interest and to obtain the buy-in of the people. For the longest time ever, sports in Malaysia have always been elite-centric, turning most Malaysians into fans, instead of amateur athletes.

I truly look forward to the expo.

However, one must also look at what Muhammad Yunus Zakariah said, as per his column 'Give sports hope through policies, not more programmes' published in Twentytwo13 in August. He wrote:

What we know is that the sports industry secretariat at KBS is currently occupied with organising an expo in October. Another event.

This would be acceptable if the event was their way of getting on with developing the satellite account.

Politicians are often told that drafting a public policy, just months before a general election, is simply satisfying, that the policy will impact the lives of millions, and that they will leave behind a legacy, long after they have left office.

But they will also be told that with today’s need for civic engagements, education, and to measure public sentiments, the process can be complicated and slow.

So, the best way to tackle this? Politicians are advised that they are much better off organising an event or programme to tick the box.

However, in actual fact, sports in Malaysia needs better policies, not more programmes. Period.

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