IFs should help develop NSAs

2009/11/25

INTERNATIONAL federations (IFs) must begin playing more significant roles in ensuring the development and improvement of national sports associations
(NSAs). Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja ’afar said this collaboration is the key towards not only ensuring that development is sustained, but towards better governance and independence.

This was a point Tunku Imran stressed upon when he delivered his keynote address at the Sports Asia 2009 forum in Kuala Lumpur ye s t e r d ay.

“It is not just about monetary assistance, but more of an effort to ensure that officials in the NSAs continue to upgrade their knowledge about the sport and take up new skills,” said Tunku Imran.

“In the long run, this will also benefit the IFs, since their representation is made up of those from the NSAs.” Tunku Imran also touched on issues surrounding the development of youth, and how sports event organisers should make sports more attractive for them.

On his note about IFs assistance of NSAs, Tunku Imran elaborated that certain examples like football’s governing body Fifa and the International Cricket Council (ICC) which do actively support the national bodies through development programmes.

“Federations of Olympic sports receive funds from the International Olympic Council (IOC) which they should channel towards improving their affiliates,” said Tunku Imran.

“These funds are sufficient enough for them to pay for representatives of their affiliates to go through anything from management to technical courses, so that these people can then go back to their countries and ensure that their sports are run better.

“This in turn will benefit the IFs themselves in the long run, by having stronger and better managed affiliates.

And the sport as whole, gains from this collaboration.” The two-day forum which addresses current issues in sports, particularly event management, legal matters and intellectual property, also saw Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohamed Hammam among the speaker s.

Sports Commissioner Datuk Nik Mahmud Nik Yusof was also among the panel of speakers, alongside Incheon 2014 Asian Games organising committee external affairs chairman Shin Yong-suk.

Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar