NILAI, Oct 20 — Over 178,000 participants have taken part in Negeri Sembilan’s state-level National Sports Month (BSN) celebration since it was launched on October 1.

Mentri Besar Aminuddin Harun said the number exceeded the target of 15 per cent of the population set by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

"(Let’s) make BSN a starting point for a healthy lifestyle. The organising of various sports activities such as running, cycling and others has been well received in the state. This shows that people are aware of the importance of sports,” he told reporters after officiating the Negeri Sembilan state-level National Sports Month celebration at the National Velodrome here today.

Also present at the event joined by over 12,000 participants were state Youth and Sports Development Committee chairman Mohamad Taufek Abd Ghani, State Secretary Datuk Dr Razali Ab Malik and state Youth and Sports Department director Nor Azli Mohamad Daud.

At the event, Aminuddin also flagged-off the participants of the Fun Run and Fun Ride events.

Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying on Oct 1 that the BSN was expected to attract the participation of five million people in over 1,000 sports activities to be held nationwide this month. — Bernama