Tomorrow we will be celebrating our first ever Hari Sukan Negara (national sports day). We are expecting millions of Malaysians to come together and sweat it out across the country in our quest to become a sporting nation. From iconic events with thousands of participants in the cities to community futsal tournaments in the kampungs, the whole country will be burning our collective calories and taking our first step towards becoming healthier and fitter nation.
So why have a national sports day in the first place? The cynics have pointed out that one day a year won’t change anything. We are still rubbish at football. Sporting standards are, at best, inconsistent. Surely, that should be a priority for the sports ministry instead of getting people to work out on one day.
Sure we are concerned about high performance sports. That remains a priority for my ministry and all stakeholders involved in sports. But sports is not just about elite athletes who we want to see on international podiums. An equally crucial component of our national sports policy is sports for all – for the ordinary person. And this is where creating a sporting nation comes in.
Malaysians’ rate of participation in sports and physical activities barely makes it past 40%. In sporting nations like Australia, Japan and the UK, it is more than 60%. When our rate of participation is low, sports does not become part of our culture and lifestyle. I have always said that Malaysians love our sports. We are a nation of great sports fans, sport critics, but we are nowhere near to being a sporting nation.
This hampers our performance at the highest levels. When there is no sporting culture, the talent base shrinks. It becomes difficult to find the next Chong Weis, Nicols, Pandelelas and Azizuls because not enough kids are playing sports. When there is no sporting culture, parents discourage their children from developing their interest and talent. Getting more Malaysians active creates a virtuous cycle that can lift sports at the grassroots level and fill the talent pipeline with more budding stars of the future.
Sports is not just about finding the next world champion. It is also about making Malaysia healthier. We top the charts regionally in many non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. If we don’t do anything about this today, we will pay for it in the future not just through deteriorating health but also billions of Ringgit in increased public health expenditure to treat diseases that could largely have been avoided by living a healthier life.
When we become healthier we become more productive and happy. Many of us know the feeling of wanting to seize the day after a workout releases positive endorphins and gets our hearts beating faster.
Imagine everyone around us with the same positive buzz and energy.
Also at a time when we seem to be disagreeing about so much, sports is the one thing (apart from food, ironically!) that can bring us together. When we cheer our sports stars, we are Malaysia. When we run in a marathon side by side, we are Malaysians. Sports straddles all divides and brings us together as a nation and as a people.
The national sports day celebrates all of this. It may just be one day, but it is a symbolic date where we remind ourselves of the power of sports. To inspire, to heal, and to unite.
Of course, many of you will be thinking “what about the haze?” Although we want the inaugural national sports day to be a success, the health of Malaysians is far more important. A guideline has been issued to all organisers on the haze for events to be canceled if the API reading in the area goes past 150. Areas with lower readings can proceed as planned.
Discounting the recent unfortunate weather, we have been building up the momentum towards national sports day over the last year. Through our FitMalaysia campaign, we have seen hundreds and thousands of Malaysians, many of whom seldom exercise, come out across the country to try and live healthier lives through fitness and sports. Sports enthusiasts, couch potatoes, senior citizens, kids, the differently-abled community get moving side by side while responding to our call to arms for them to become better versions of themselves.
Friends have been challenging each other through exercise videos over the last two weeks to get in shape for national sports day. Members of Parliament took part in a step challenge to see who could log in the highest average daily steps with the winner getting a grant to organise activities in their constituency on national sports day. Sports stores have joined the bandwagon with special sales across the country. People were getting free LRT tickets by performing simple exercises at selected stations. Sporting fever has truly reached every corner of society. Even inmates have asked the Prisons Department if they can organise a sports tournament on national sports day.
There will be 16,000 events and activities held across the country tomorrow. You can either join these structured events or just get together with family and friends for a game of badminton or a slow jog around the neighbourhood. It does not matter where you are or if you can make it to any official activities. What’s more important is that you sweat it out tomorrow, wherever you are.
So what are you waiting for? Get your game on and join me and millions of other Malaysians tomorrow in our first step towards becoming a sporting nation.
Visit www.harisukannegara.my for more information on National Sports Day.
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