PETALING JAYA: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh believes that the digitalisation of Malaysian sports will not only help encourage greater participation but can also help combat corruption.
Yeoh, who officially launched the AFA Superapp today, said such applications could play a key role in the development of sports in the country.
"When (court) bookings and rental (collection) are done manually it can be difficult to monitor, especially in smaller districts where we are not present.
"It is up to those who are collecting (rentals) to declare to us how much they have collected. Nobody really knows whether that place is booked or not.
"But with digitalisation, bookings and payments are made online and they are directly paid into government accounts. Thus, we do not have this problem of non-collection or revenue not being channelled back to the taxpayers.
"When the bookings are made available (for all to see) and things are transparent, accessibility will improve, and more talent will have access to infrastructure. Resources will also be pumped back into the system.
"This is where I think digitalisation will help boost sports."
AFA Superapp is a sports community platform that lets users create and find activities, manage reservations in groups, book venues and pay seamlessly, earn loyalty points, redeem rewards and enjoy deals from partners.
The app was co-founded by Samuel Siew, who is former FA of Malaysia head of grassroots development. He is currently AFA Community Sdn Bhd chief executive officer.
The National Sports Institute owns a stake in AFA Community.
ENDS
KW: Sports, Hannah Yeoh, AFA Superapp, National Sports Institute