PUTRAJAYA, Dec 4 — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) is committed to ensuring that local and international sports championships will be organised next year through the introduction of sports bubbles.

Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said that the ministry was still studying a number of sports bubble models currently used to organise championships overseas, including football tournaments, before implementing a suitable model in the country.

"Many (sports bubble models) can be used, but I don’t want to rush, let’s conduct a comprehensive study. For now, many sports stakeholders have been called in, including the Malaysian Football League (MFL), besides those involved in the tourism sector as the are sports championships involving the participation of foreign (athletes),” he told reporters here today.

Reezal Merican had recently announced that KBS was working on a sports bubble model that would be presented to the National Security Council (MKN) to ensure that sports activities and competitions could be held in the country.

In a separate development, Reezal Merican said the ministry would announce the new Sports Commissioner in the new future after getting the approval from the Public Services Department.

The position fell vacant after incumbent Dr Wirdawati Mohd Radzi cut short her tenure in October.

The Universiti Malaya lecturer was appointed Sports Commissioner in July 2019 to replace Datuk Zaiton Othman, who had reached the age of mandatory retirement.

Meanwhile, Reezal Merican also witnessed a new record for football juggling set by Danniel Aqashah Rakmatulla, a trainee of Akademi Tunas, Hulu Selangor, at the KBS lobby.

The 12-year-old managed to juggle the ball 202 times to earn himself a place in the Malaysian Book of Records. — Bernama