SHAH ALAM: A recent meeting between the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) secretary-general, National Sports Council (NSC) and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has raised hopes that the conflict between OCM and the Sports Commissioner (PJS) can be resolved.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said she believes the meeting can pave the way for the conflict to be settled professionally but asked that OCM and PJS be given space to work things out.
Hannah stressed that it is her responsibility to ensure that the post of Sports Commissioner remains professional and neutral.
"PJS is a very important post for enforcing the Sports Development Act. As I have said in Parliament, it is crucial to have a harmonious sports ecosystem.
"So I believe the courtesy call made by the secretary-general (Dr Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu) and NSC director-general (Abdul Rashid Yaakub) to OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria will allow for this matter to be settled in a professional and calm manner," she said.
She told reporters this at a ceremony for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and NSC at the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Chancellery here today (November 29).
Hannah said her priority is to resolve the esports issue as it is the root problem in the PJS-OCM dispute.
"The core issue of esports has yet to be resolved. That is my priority because esports athletes have asked us to mediate between MEGA (Malaysian Electronic Games Association) and MESF (Malaysia Esports Federation)," she added.
The PJS-OCM conflict spilt into the open after an audio recording of an alleged threat by the Sports Commissioner to deregister OCM went viral.
Earlier, UiTM and NSC renewed the MoU, which expired last January, for a three-year period to allow NSC athletes and staff to further their education at UiTM.
"UiTM makes available 13 campuses to absorb athletes under the auspices of NSC. This is a good and strategic cooperation which can have a greater impact on UiTM and NSC," said Hannah. — Bernama