13/10/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | OCT 13, 2025

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Kidslympic set to become annual event: Liu Ying THE Kidslympic Games Malaysia is being targeted to become an annual affair following the enthusiastic response in efforts to produce new sports talents.

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“So, they said that it was because of the running events that they came to know about Kidslympics. We hope that next year we can have more running events in places like Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan,” she said. Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Ministry Development Division secretary Amir Hamzah Awang Ghazali expressed support for the Games. “In conjunction with the National Sports Day (HSN), we hope it won’t be just a one-off programme but will always be a culture. It’s not just for associations, but other parties will also organise such programmes,” he said. Earlier, the Games received a RM60,000 sports matching grant from the Youth and Sports Ministry. – Bernama

“This could be because we went to schools nationwide to inform them of the Games for children aged below 12,” said Liu Ying, a former national shuttler, at Stadium Merdeka yesterday. She added that the introduction of the running programmes held in connection with the Games in several states also helped towards increasing children’s participation. “Perhaps this is the first year (for the running events), so we are still new at it. So, the highest number of participants is from Selangor.

Group E: Spain 2 (Pino 24, Oyarzabal 64) Georgia 0, Bulgaria 1 (Kirilov 13) Turkey 6 (Guler 11, Popov 49-og, Kenan Yildiz 52,56, Zeki Celik 65, Irfan Can Kahveci 90+3) . Group F: Hungary 2 (Lukacs 56, Gruber 90+4) Armenia 0, Portugal 1 (Ruben Neves 90+1) Republic of Ireland 0. Group I: Norway 5 (Khalaili 18-og, Haaland 27, 63, 72, Nachmias 28-og) Israel 0, Estonia 1 (Sappinen 76) Italy 3 (Kean 5, Retegui 38, Esposito 74) . Group K: Latvia 2 (Zelenkovs 41, Gutkovskis 55-pen) Andorra 2 (San Nicolas 33, Oliveira 78) , Serbia 0 Albania 1 (Manaj 45+1) . ASIA: UAE 2 Oman 1, Iraq 1 Indonesia 0. INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY: Grenada 2 Cuba 0, Mexico 0 Colombia 4. NATIONAL women’s squash player Rachel Arnold advanced to the sec ond round of the Silicon Valley Open in Redwood City, United States, after defeating compatriot Aifa Azman yesterday. In the first-round match held at SquashZone, the world No. 20 had little trouble overcoming Aifa 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 15-13 in 39 min utes. Rachel, however, faces a tougher challenge in the second round when she meets world No. 10 Georgina Kennedy of England. Kennedy previously defeated her in their first encounter at the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Championship in Egypt last year. Terengganu, Young Tigress defend TAR Cup titles THE Terengganu men’s hockey squad defended their title in the 2025 TNB Tun Abdul Razak Cup after defeating Pahang 4-2 in the final at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on Saturday. Goals from Muhammad Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee, Faizal Saari and Darwisy Hamdangave Terengganu a comfort able four goal lead in 36 minutes. Pahang tried making a comeback by scoring two goals through Muhammad Syawal Abdul Razak in the 42nd minute and Tengku Nasrul Ikmal Tengku Abd Rahim in the 52nd minute. Meanwhile, in the women’s competition, Young Tigress also defended the championship after defeating Selangor through a pen alty shootout 3-1, after both teams were tied goalless in the regular match time. BRIEFS Rachel reaches Silicon Valley round two

Kidslympic Malaysia co-founder Goh Liu Ying said the Games, for children aged between five and 12, had attracted over 3,000 participants for the six sports events – athletics, football, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and obstacle course. “Yes, there is an increase compared to last year, when only about 1,000 to 2,000 children competed.

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Children in action at the 2025 Kidslympic Games Capstone event at Stadium Merdeka yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

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M ALAYSIA’S preparations for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand are being carried out thoroughly, with various aspects being streamlined to ensure the athletes will be in prime condition for the December biennial Games. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said preparations are being coordinated by the National Sports Council (NSC), while chef de mission (CDM) Nurul Huda Abdullah is also visiting the athletes’ training camps to ensure everything is proceeding smoothly. “Currently, Nurul Huda is visiting training camps to ensure everything is in order. We have one CDM and two deputies to assist due to our large contingent of athletes. “Our (SEA Games) preparations are thorough, and now is the time when they (the athletes) must start to step it up ahead of the Games in December,” she told reporters yesterday. Meanwhile, Yeoh said an announcement on the contingent size and medal target for the Thailand SEA Games would be announced soon. She also hopes that all national athletes will remain fit and stay injury-free ahead of the biennial Games. “I hope all the athletes will be injury-free. For our sportsmen and sportswomen, the one thing I fear most for them is a serious injury,” she said. companies organising international arts, cultural, tourism and sports and recreational competitions involving foreign participants. “Next year is Visit Malaysia 2026, so the government is boosting tax incentives to companies that not only want to organise competitions in the fields of arts and tourism, but also in sports. “They will be given a 50 per cent tax exemption, which is a significant amount compared to the previous 10 per cent for sponsorship,” she said yesterday. She, however, stressed that all organisers of international sports competitions must obtain approval from the ministry to ensure compliance with regulations and approvals

The Dec 9-20 Thailand SEA Games will be held in three provinces – Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla. Regarding the convention, Yeoh said it served to open the way for young Indian women to delve into other fields, including public service, leadership and sports. “We hope it (the convention) will be held again next year so that more areas can be covered, such as domestic violence, family issues, children and youth development. We will place more emphasis on all these issues. “From all these specific forums and sessions, I hope next year, when it’s time to take in civil servants, there will be an increase in applications from Indian women,” she said. Over 500 young Indian women nationwide attended the convention, organised by the Malaysian Indian Youth Council (MIYC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, aimed at empowering Indian youth through exposure to knowledge, leadership skills and strategic networking. – Bernama Sports minister says Malaysia geared up for Thailand SEA Games

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‘Tax relief initiative can spur hosting of world-class sports events’ THE Youth and Sports Ministry welcomes the initiative to provide a 50% tax exemption on the statutory income of private companies organising international-level sports competitions, in line with efforts to boost the Visit Malaysia 2026 celebration. from relevant authorities. “We do not want any party organising international meets without the country’s approval. If they do not fulfil the conditions, such as insurance or local authority permits, that could tarnish Malaysia’s image and credibility.

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Its Minister, Hannah Yeoh, said the initiative, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when tabling Budget 2026 in Parliament, is expected to spur the organisation of more international level sports events in Malaysia, thus energising the tourism and domestic sports sectors. Last Friday, Anwar announced the 50% tax exemption on the statutory income of private

“As such, I urge any company or sports association that intends to hold international competitions to obtain permission from the ministry first,” she added. Meanwhile, Yeoh said that corporate companies that channel contributions to the National Sports Trust Fund (KWASN) are eligible to receive a 100 per cent tax exemption. – Bernama

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