PETALING JAYA: Malaysia does not rule out the possibility of bidding to become the host of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Cup, which will be held in a South East Asian country this year.
However, the developer of the popular mobile game, Moonton, has not revealed the actual date for the world championship, or whether it will coincide with the SEA Games in the Philippines at the end of the year.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said if the event was confirmed, he would do his best to ensure the championship is hosted in Malaysia.
"We will try our level best. I will check with the ministry, National Sports Council teams, and the national esports association.
"If possible, we want to bring the World Cup to Malaysia," said Syed Saddiq after launching the state-level People’s Housing Project’s (PHP) sports programme at the Lembah Subang Dua PHP today.
It was reported that the organisers of the world cup, which does not yet have an official name, will involve teams from the United States, South America, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Mobile Legends is an online mobile multi-players video game which was developed and published by Moonton in 2016.
Mobile Legends is one of six esports categories to be contested at the SEA Games in the Philippines.
On another matter, Syed Saddiq said he wants the three sports associations that still owed money to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to settle their debts quickly.
"I have yet to receive any feedback from OCM or the associations in question on the matter but I am informed that both sides are negotiating," he said. – Bernama