KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — The country’s first National Sports Day will continue to run next Saturday in areas where air pollution levels arising from the annual haze season are less severe, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.
Khairy said that the National Sports Institute will issue a guideline to organisers of National Sports Day activities, with the latter to have the power to make the decision.
“About 12,000 programmes expected to run on the day itself, therefore, for example, even though the major events in Klang Valley may have to be cancelled due to haze; but programmes in Sabah can be continued if the API is at healthy level,” he was quoted as saying by the news site of New Straits Times, referring to the Air Pollutant Index (API) used as an indicator of the severity of haze conditions.
He was reportedly due to have a workout session with Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (Usim) students, but it was scrapped due to the unhealthy levels of air pollutants in Nilai, Negri Sembilan where the university’s main campus is located.
According to the NST, the API in Nilai was in the unhealthy range (176), with the two other locations in the state – Seremban and Port Dickson – both showing unhealthy readings of 184.
Khairy yesterday said that the Youth and Sports Ministry will recommend National Sports Day events to be cancelled if the API reaching breaches the 150 mark, while those involved will be advised to take precautionary steps if the reading is above 100.
He said the ministry does not want to compromise the public’s health and will advise those suffering from heart ailments or respiratory problems to refrain from joining in.
“While we can’t take one approach for the whole country as readings differ from area to area, we will be coming out with an advisory,” he had said.
Putrajaya had initially aimed to attract three million Malaysians to join in events for the National Sports Day, which will now fall on the second Saturday of October every year.
