The inaugural Selangor International Sports Summit 2019, featuring leading sports specialists from Asia, will be officiated by Menteri Besar of Selangor, Y.A.B. Tuan Amirudin Bin Shari, on August 27, Initiated by the Asian Sports Press Union (AIPS Asia) in collaboration with the Selangor state government, the summit will feature speakers from Qatar, South Korea and also several prominent Malaysian sports officials.
Mr. Khalid Al-Naama, Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Supreme Committee, Head of Arabic Media, and Prof Rocky Kang-Ro Yoon, President of International Sports Diplomacy Korea, are among the confirmed international speakers for the summit.
The duo will discuss the importance of major sports events and how they benefit nations, and in particular the cities that host such events. They will share their inside knowledge of the respective events they have and will be involved in.
Prof Rocky will be able to discuss how the Summer and Winter Olympics had impacted the country and the cities involved while Khalid will talk about the challenges of hosting the World Cup.
The keynote address will be delivered by Datuk Seri Mohamed Norza Zakaria, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia. The Selangor International Sports Summit 2019 will be attended by some 300 participants, including stakeholders from the various Selangor agencies and sports bodies, representatives from some 30 AIPS Asia countries, leading sports journalists from the region and Malaysia, and also officials from the national sports associations.
“Tuan Amirudin has been instrumental in bringing this event to life. When we first approached him with the idea, he immediately saw the importance and value such a summit would bring to the state of Selangor,” said AIPS Asia Vice-President and Deputy Chairman of the Selangor International Sports Summit Organising Committee, Ahmad Khawari Isa at the Press Conference to announce the event here today.
Today’s function was officiated by YB Mohd Khairuddin Othman, Exco Pembangunan Generasi Muda & Sukan dan Pembangunan Modal Insan, Selangor and also Organising Chairman of the Selangor International Sports Summit.
“The participants will find out first-hand what it takes to organise such major events and how it will benefit their country, state or city in the short and long-term. The benefits are immense, including infrastructure and potentially massive economic returns.” Khawari said he is hopeful the participants will come away from the summit armed with a better insight and possibly even how their own state or city could someday host a major sporting event.
Mr Venu Ramadass, Secretary of the Organising Committee, later commented that the event had been in the pipeline for some time. “We held several discussions with YB Khairuddin and his team to finalise matters. With his assistance and guidance, we were able to nail down the programme and the content. This summit will be particularly helpful to Selangor as the state looks to organise more sporting events.”
On the sidelines of the summit, AIPS Asia will announce their pick of the best athletes in Asia for 2018. Four awards – Best Male and Female athletes, and Best Male and Female Teams.
In conjunction with the summit, AIPS Asia will hold its annual Congress to be attended by delegates from around 30 countries.
