Success In One Sport Cannot Be Used As Yardstick To Measure Development Of Country's Sports Industry

PUTRAJAYA, July 23 (Bernama) -- The achievement of a particular event or sport should not necessarily reflect the development of the sports industry in the country said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy said success should instead be measured through the success of several sports, including sports that have been termed as not popular.

"Sports that are not popular among local sports fans in the country have been able to achieve success at international level but such success should not be measured by the achievement of only one sport.

"If we look at the overall picture in sports, we have already reached world class in archery and diving. The latest success being in Paralympic sport whereby our shot put athlete won a gold medal in the IPC World Paralympic Athletics Championships," he told reporters after the Integrity in Sports Forum, here, Tuesday.

Khairy said the achievement of elite Paralympic athlete, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli by winning the men's F20 Shot put gold medal at the IPC World Championships in Lyon, France on Monday must be seen as a benchmark for the development of the sports industry in the country. The ability of divers Pandelela Rinong and Leong Mun Yee to win a bronze medal in the women's 10m Platform Synchronized diving at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday must also been seen in the same perspective, he said.

Khairy hoped sports would help elevate Malaysia's image on the world stage while the achievement of Malaysian athletes would receive wide coverage in the local and international media.

"Our fate in sports is not only dependant on football because sports development under the National Sports Council's 'Road to London 2012' or 'Road to Rio 2016' is beginning to bear fruit," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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