KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries that have expertise in the field of sports to share their experiences and skills in an effort to improve the quality of sports among its members.
Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu said that in addition to increasing the number of world-class athletes among OIC countries, it will also create a more competitive business cycle thus driving the growth of the sports industry of member countries to a higher level.
He said this at the 5th Session of the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers (ICYSM) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“At the same time, Malaysia also suggested that the focus should not only be given to high-performance sports but also to traditional sports or games that are more towards strengthening the relationship among OIC members.
“Malaysia strongly believes that sport is an important enabler to promote development and peace thus bridging the gap between countries,” he said in a statement Saturday.
Ahmad Faizal said OIC member countries also welcome Malaysia’s shared experience in youth and sports development, especially through the implementation of the Youth Development Model 2030, which sees the position of youth as different in terms of their needs and wants after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Therefore, Malaysia remains committed to working with the youth at the national, regional and international levels. In order to achieve this desire, innovation and digitisation measures, governance strengthening and research will always be intensified,” he said.
In addition, he said Malaysia was happy that the proposal to establish an Islamic Conference Youth Forum (ICYF) in Palestine, which aims to focus on development, sharing ideas and economic empowerment involving the country’s youth, has been agreed upon.
“The ICYF is expected to ensure the organisation of more youth programmes and activities in Palestine, thereby building the confidence and resilience of the people of the country in facing any form of challenges in the present and the future,” he said.
The ICYSM conference, which was held from Sept 7 to 9, had the theme ‘Youth Development and Sports for a Community Based on Unity’.
Among the agendas discussed are methods to help build youth capacity and develop the potential of sports among OIC member countries.
— NNN-BERNAMA