Courses vital to produce high calibre sports administrators

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Ong (seated at left) with the course facilitators and participants.

KUCHING: Sports associations in Sarawak are urged to apply for more Sports Administrators courses from the Olympic Council of Malaysia.

According to Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) director Dr Ong Kong Swee, the sports administrators course is vital to produce sports administrators who are knowledgeable and experienced to help make Sarawak a sports powerhouse.

Ong said this when representing Assistant Sports Minister Datuk Snowdan Lawan during the closing of the IOC-OS-OCM Sports Administrators Course at a local hotel on Thursday.

“To make Sarawak a sports powerhouse, we need sports administrators.

“In connection with that, state sports association need to be pro active in meeting with OCM to apply for the organising of such courses regularly.”

Ong, who is also Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) chief executive officer, revealed that Sarawak will be playing host to four international events in 2019 which are the Asian Masters Athletics Championship, World Para Swimming Championship, Asian Junior Tenpin Bowling Championship and the Asian Karate Championship.

He said the bringing in of international sporting events would help to train sports associations to be more competent and able to organise world class competitions well.

“The organising of all these championships is beneficial to the sports associations as they will be able to know how to run international events well.

“Apart from that, more technical officials and sports administrators will be produced,” he added.

He added that the state government through MSNS will apply for more such courses in be organised in Sarawak next year.

Ong recorded his appreciation to OCM for organising the course after a lapse of 14 years.

“This is the fourth time that such course is organised after the first time in Kuching in 1994 and 2003, and Sibu in 2001,” he noted.

Fifty-seven representatives from 25 sports associations took part in the course organised by OCM with the collaboration of MSNS from Nov 7-9.

The course was conducted by four national instructors headed by SAC Sports Administrator Course director Moira Tan Siew See, assistant director Wan Yew Leong, Peter Chee and Tham Choy Lin.