Understanding the future of sports development in Malaysia

Front row, second from left: Dato’ Michael, Prof Goi, Dato’ Ti, Dr Jady, Dr Sia and Dr Falahat

Dato’ Ti (most right) taking a picture with a student

(Sourced from Dato Ti’s Facebook)

UTAR Centre for Entrepreneurial Sustainability (CENTS) in collaboration with the Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM) organised a public forum titled The Future and Current Development of Our Sports Industry on 28 July 2022 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus.

Invited to grace and launch the forum was the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Malaysia, YB Senator Dato’ Sri Ti Lian Ker. The forum was also attended by UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Goi Bok Min who represented UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, FAM Dean Dr Sia Bee Chuan, CENTS Chairperson Assoc Prof Dr Mohammad Falahat Nejadmahani, UTAR staff and students. A total of three panellists spoke at the forum; they were Dean of the Faculty of Law at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Associate Prof Dr Jady @ Zaidi Hassim, President of Malaysian Canoe Association (MASCA) Dato’ Michael Wong Meng San, and UTAR Department of Student Affairs of Sungai Long Campus (DSA) Assistant Manager Nuraini binti Ibrahim. FAM lecturer Dr Angelina Anne Fernandez was the moderator.

From left: Prof Goi and Dato’ Ti at the forum

Speaking about the sports industry in Malaysia, Dato’ Ti said, “The future and the current development of the sports industry in Malaysia is huge, as sports is growing tremendously to a larger scope. It is now no longer limited to a few industries like tourism, manufacturing and construction, but the sports industry has branched out to newer scopes, such as sports development, activities and merchandise. Our country has even developed its own local sports brands to further grow the industry, such as Al-Ikhsan, whilst creating other sports-related media like delving into the film industry to make sports films like Mat Kilau, which has proven to be beneficial and profitable.”

He also touched on the e-sports sector of the sports industry, and how it is being developed in Malaysia. “The current strategic plan of the development of e-sports is to boost the confidence of the public and stakeholders to venture into e-sports. This strategic plan will be able to unlock the full potential and remove the misconception about e-sports and expedite its development. This strategic plan’s vision is to promote a sustainable e-sports ecosystem, and the objective is to propel Malaysian e-sports to greater heights. The main aim is to put Malaysia on the map as Southeast Asia’s most active and attractive centre for e-sports excellence, and to ensure that young people, including athletes in e-sports, are empowered,” said Dato’ Ti.

Dato’ Ti giving his speech to the participants

Prof Goi said, “The forum today aims to enlighten us about sustainable sports development through the means of promoting sports among youths, and in turn, promoting unity. UTAR has always provided support for its students competing in sports by honouring them with the Sportsperson of the Year Award and the Most Talented UTARians. Our students have also achieved numerous sports achievements throughout the years, such as being crowned champion at the Dato’ Pep Kok Sam’s Annual Cup Team Ping Pong Tournament, four medals at the Taekwondo Championship, and first place in the Kejohanan E-Sports Uni League 2020, to name a few.”

Prof Goi delivering his speech

Dato' Ti (top left) and the panellists receiving their souvenirs from Prof Goi

After a souvenir presentation to Dato’ Ti and the panellists, the forum officially began. One of the questions discussed at the forum was “What amounts to good governance in the sports industry, and how important is good governance towards the sustainability of the sports industry”, which was directed at Dato’ Michael, who answered, “The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has laid out seven points on good governance, which are Vision, mission and strategy, Structures, regulations and democratic progress, Highest level of competence, Integrity and ethical standards, Accountability, transparency and control, Solidarity and development, Athletes involvement, participation and care, and Harmonious relations with the government while preserving autonomy. We should focus more on how to improve the sports associations first by ensuring there is good governance in place, before moving on to higher sports ambitions like developing the industry.”

Dato’ Michael answering one of the questions

Another question which was answered by Dr Jady was “What are the advantages of arbitration and mediation in resolving sports conflicts”. He stated, “First, we have to understand the difference between arbitration and mediation. Both involve a third party to settle the disputes, but arbitration is used to resolve more serious conflicts. There are many advantages of using arbitration and mediation as opposed to going to court. Firstly, the process is simpler and a resolution can be reached quicker. Not only that, the cost to settle a conflict using arbitration and mediation is cheaper, as it does not necessarily involve hiring a lawyer. Instead, anyone can be a mediator, or a licensed mediator can be hired.”

Dr Jady imparting his knowledge to the participants

In addressing the question “What sports activities have UTAR put in place for students to join?”, Nuraini replied, “There are various sports tournaments for students to participate in, such as basketball, futsal and e-sports. We also provide training for these students to prepare them for any upcoming competitions or if they simply would like to improve. For now, we have training for sports like table tennis and volleyball. Finally, we have our own facilities like the gymnasium for students to utilise in their own free time.”

Nuraini explaining the various sports programmes offered by UTAR

From left: Nuraini, Dr Jady, Dato’ Michael and Dr Angelina

The forum then ended with a quick Q&A session.