KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — The federal government is urged to move beyond chasing medals and instead focus on developing a full-fledged sports industry that offers long-term careers and stability.
Menteri Besar and Gombak MP Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, who is also former state executive councillor for youth and sports, said Malaysia lacks a cohesive development model for sports, despite some moments of success.
“Football, for example, once had nearly a complete infrastructure in place, yet it still lacked a sustainable formula for long-term development. In several states, football teams eventually folded due to instability or poor governance. Once individual figures or sponsors pulled out, the entire team collapsed,” he said when debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in Parliament here today.
Amirudin also cited sepak takraw as an example of a sport that has seen recent success due to strong investment in a professional league, but added that “others remain under-coordinated and vulnerable to collapse due to mismanagement or lack of funding”.
In comparison, he said, sports ecosystems in countries like the United States are designed to support not only athletes, but a wide range of jobs.
“Based on my early reading in 2008, for example, baseball in the US doesn’t just produce athletes. It creates up to 47 other related jobs, from announcers and coaches to physiotherapists and full-scale team management.”
He also highlighted gaps in local training infrastructure, noting that many Malaysian athletes train abroad due to the absence of structured competition calendars and long-term local development frameworks.
“Why do our athletes train abroad? Our tennis players go to the US… and motorsport athletes go to Spain, not just because of the training, but because those countries offer a steady stream of events and competitions,” he said.
Amirudin added that local universities don’t offer comprehensive programmes in sports management and the broader sports industry, limiting domestic expertise in areas such as athlete development, commercial operations and league governance.
While acknowledging efforts like the Sepak Takraw League and the former Purple League in badminton, he said these initiatives need sustained support to thrive.
Amirudin said national shuttlers Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah are examples of athletes who have emerged from local league systems, but warned that without continuity, such successes may be the exception, not the norm.
