Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) is delighted to announce our inaugural “Beyond the Games: The Legacy Begins” International Conference taking place on 31 March and 1 April 2020.
The conference is driven by the objectives of encouraging Malaysians to participate in Masters sports (competitive sports for athletes aged above 35), and optimising the usage of Malaysian sports facilities.
The event also aims to form a sustainable sports ecosystem where Masters sports stakeholders may independently organise and/or participate in sporting activities at public facilities, and the facilities may meet all Malaysians’ sporting activity demands. Apart from raising awareness on the issues, the event also provides a platform of discourse for stakeholders to provide solutions, with actionable resolutions formulated from the conference’s proceedings.
YSD Chairman Y.A.M Tunku Tan Sri Imran Ibni Almarhum Tunku Ja’afar said the conference is inspired by the inaugural Asia Pacific Masters Games 2018, where more than half of the participating athletes were Malaysian.
He said this indicates that there is an untapped pool of experienced professional athletes who could contribute back to society by coaching aspiring young athletes.
This will help grow this segment of the sports industry towards making Malaysia a healthy, active and sporty nation.
“We must find ways to create and promote Masters sporting events for Malaysians. To that end, we must begin with getting the most out of our public sports facilities.
“I hope that relevant stakeholders will come together for the conference to find solutions and offer recommendations to support the development of lifelong sports in Malaysia ,” he added.
The two-day conference will bring together critical stakeholders featuring local and international experts to discuss and share insights on various topics related to Masters sports and the utilisation of public facilities for sporting events.
During Day 1 (March 31), the Chair of International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission Kirsty Coventry will be delivering a keynote address on “Sports for Life: Beyond the Games – An Athlete’s Experience & Perspective” and International Masters Games Association CEO Jens Holm will present a talk titled “The Future for Sports & Recreation for Masters”.
Meanwhile on Day 2 (1 April), a talk on “Sports & Recreation Facilities for Life: Management & Sustainability” will be presented. There will be panel discussions on both days which will be moderated by accomplished sports veterans — YBhg. Tan Sri M. Jegathesan and YBhg. Datuk Marina Chin Bhatt.
Representatives of local and international organisations as well as government bodies make up the list of panellists and speakers. Some of the prominent ones include:
Day 1: Tuesday, 31 March 2020 (Promotion of Masters Games/Sports)
YBhg. Dato’ Zaiton Othman, Ex-Sports Commissioner of Malaysia,
YBhg. Datuk Irwan Shah, (D.J. Dave) an active Masters Games participant,
Jeffrey Ong, Deputy President of Malaysian Olympian Association and
Sng Hock Lin, Deputy Chief of ActiveSG.
Day 2: Wednesday, 1 April 2020 (Optimisation of Public Sports Facilities)
Helen Lee Geok Khim, Assistant Director of Sport Infrastructure Group at Sport Singapore,
Nik Razeen Adam Daud, CEO Stadium Board Malaysia
YBhg. Dato’ Sarjit Singh Sekhon, Deputy President of Malaysian Sport for All Council,
Lee Phui Yee, Event Director of Michael’s Badminton Academy.
The event will also be graced by the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong and Minister of Housing & Local Government YB Pn. Zuraida Kamaruddin, who will be delivering their respective speeches
