KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), through the Youth and Sports Ministry, will table a proposal to the government to make a bid to host the 2030 Asian Games.
OCM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria said the time had come for the government to consider the proposal since two other Asean nations, Thailand and Indonesia, had hosted Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle.
Thailand hosted the Asiad in 1966, 1970, 1978 and 1998 while Indonesia were hosts in 1962 and 2018.
“We have very good sports facilities and infrastructure and I feel that it’s time for Malaysia to host this multi-sport Games.
“Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail (National Sports Council director-general) will submit the matter to the Youth and Sports Minister (Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman) before it is referred to the higher level,” he told a press conference after chairing the 11th OCM executive board members’ meeting for the 2018-2021 term, here, today.
The city of Hangzhou in China will host the 2022 Asiad while the 2026 edition will be held in Nagoya, Japan.
Norza said they would submit a bid to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) if the proposal was approved by the Cabinet.
Bernama understands that India, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Uzbekistan are also interested in bidding to host the 2030 Asian Games.
Norza, meanwhile, said OCM would announce soon the names of the two deputy chefs-de-mission for the Philippines SEA Games in December after reviewing the names put forward by the Youth and Sports Ministry and National Silat Federation (Pesaka) secretary-general Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, who is the chef-de-mission for the biennial Games.
He explained that the decision to appoint two deputy chefs-de-mission was made as the Philippines SEA Games would be held in four clusters, namely Manila, Clark, Subic and BLT (Batangan, La Union and Tagaytay). — Bernama
