KUALA LUMPUR: More than 34 different types of sports will be contested during the national level National Sports Day (NSD) that will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City (KLSC) tomorrow (Saturday) with e-sports being the latest, main attraction.
The Sports Ministry’s chief secretary, Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali said that as many as 15,000 participants have already confirmed their participation to take part in all sorts of activities that will be carried out in the vicinity of KLSC.
"The unique speciality of NSD this year is the fact that we have already prepared a special venue for e-sports and to date we have received more than 900 entries. We will also be introducing the e-sports industry to members of the public.
"Sports has a huge potential because from the studies that we have conducted, there are about 14 million people who are involved in one way or another with e-sports, be it those who play using their mobile phones or other smart devices,” he said after witnessing the preparations being done in conjunction with the national level NSD at KLSC here earlier today (Friday).
Lokman said that the organising of sporting events will be carried out according to clusters throughout KLSC and not forgetting sports for those with special needs such as boccia and Sports League For All which will see all sorts of communit games being introduced.
"We are also very happy because our beloved Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali will attend the national level celebrations tomorrow (Saturday), so it will indeed be a historic event for us all,” he said.
Lokman said that Tun Dr. Mahathir is also expected to flag off the 10 kilometer Fun Ride event which has attracted more than 2,000 participants and the 3kn Fun Walk event which has drawn more than 8,000 participants.
He added that popular sports such as three-a-side basketball will be continued with a projected participation from more than 350 teams, while where football is concerned, Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will lead a specially assembled side that will take on an artistes’ selection side which is scheduled for some time tomorrow (Saturday).
"Apart from the national level celebrations, all sorts of activities have been arranged and planned for both state and district levels that will be carried out all across the country, and we are expecting more than a million people to come and take part tomorrow (Saturday),” Lokman pointed out.
The NSD was introduced in 2016 with it being held annually on the second Saturday of the month of October. It is an initiative by the Sports Ministry with the aim of making Malaysia a ‘Sports oriented country’.
