WE are not really a society that thrives on sport, unlike some other nations.

Sports in our country is very much a social exercise or pastime and is only played quite seriously at the school level.

Social exercise would usually mean playing futsal once a week with the boys, hitting a lazy nine holes on the golf course over the weekend and being at the gym trying to burn the calories accumulated from the nasi lemak and roti canai eaten all week.

In an ideal world, we would devote an equal amount of time to our work and leisure.

However, once we start our studies or career, there is usually an imbalance in work and life and so it is hardly pursued seriously.
Most parents will want their children to focus on education rather than athletic endeavours. Also, playing active sports is the least of anyone’s concerns when one has just started a family.

I have always seen sports as a great way to bring people together. Whether a serious endeavour or merely as a social pursuit, sports is about fitness, people and fun. Ever so often, there is a sporting event that keeps us glued to our television screens.

International sporting events bring Malaysians together, in good ways and bad.

The good would be seeing father and son getting up in the middle of the night to cheer their favourite team, and then struggling to get through work and school the next day.

For wives and girlfriends, it is about negotiating a balanced schedule during the period of the games.

Some couples and families even draw up a timetable during the tournament, specifying football viewing time, and family time.

In England, the likes of Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole are known as WAGs – Wives and Girlfriends of England Footballers. In Malaysia, we have WAGSFF – Wives and Girlfriends of Football Fans.

It is a great thing to see family and friends come together outside football season to spend quality time together. However, I do wish we had something with a local sports flavour to bring Malaysians together.

It was nice that around 4,000 people turned up to support our men’s hockey team, which defeated New Zealand in the recent Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

It is environments like these that make young children aspire to represent their country.

I remember when I was younger, my family would go to Merdeka Stadium on weekends to watch the Semi-Pro league and players such as Dollah Salleh, Shebby Singh and Fandi Ahmad.

Back then, the crowds were large and people were passionate and confident about Malaysian football and sports. During moments of excitement and glory, I would dream that I could score the winning goal that would take Malaysia to the World Cup.

I don’t think this would have happened if my family and I were watching the English Premier League (EPL) on TV, because it was the excitement of being at the stadium with my loved ones that inspired dreams of winning for my country.

No discredit to the EPL, as I do admit that their quality of football is far more exciting to watch than our local league. But what Malaysia needs is the return of the good old sporting days.

The Ministry of Sports and respective sports associations are working very hard to make such things happen. There’s much to do to bring back the glory, especially with the recent allegations of corruption.

Sports remains however a great way to bring people together. Juan Antonio Samaranch (Former International Olympic Committee President) said about sports and the Olympic movement: “We peruse one ideal, that of bringing people together in peace, irrespective of race, religion and political convictions, for the benefit of mankind.”