SHAH ALAM — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is optimistic about resolving the conflict between the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the Sports Commissioner, assuring that the latter’s post will maintain professionalism and neutrality.
A recent meeting involving the ministry’s secretary-general, the National Sports Council (NSC), and OCM has instilled hope for an amicable resolution.
Expressing confidence in the meeting’s outcomes, Hannah called for OCM and the Sports Commissioner to be given the space to work out their differences, Bernama reported.
“The Sports Commissioner is a critical post for enforcing the Sports Development Act.
“As I have said in Parliament, it is crucial to have a harmonious sports ecosystem,” she said during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and NSC today.
The conflict between Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias and OCM surfaced following the leak of an audio recording containing an alleged threat to deregister OCM.
The recording was taken during a discussion between the Suhardi and two eSports groups on November 14.
Hannah identified the esports issue as the root problem and emphasised its resolution as a priority.
“The core issue of esports has yet to be resolved. That is my priority because esports athletes have asked us to mediate between MEGA (Malaysian Electronic Games Association) and MESF (Malaysia Esports Federation),” she added.
Earlier, UiTM and NSC renewed the MoU, which expired last January, for a three-year period to allow NSC athletes and staff to further their education at UiTM.
At the same event, she added that she is ready to discuss syariah-compliant sportswear guidelines for the 2028 Malaysia Games (Sukma) with the Kelantan government, which will be hosted by the state.
However, her current focus remains on Sukma Sarawak next year and the implementation of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (SSO) contributions for athletes in the Podium Programme scheduled for January. — November 29, 2023