Selangor Journal
Selangor’s wushu Sanda athletes undergoing training at the KK Chia Wushu Club Training Centre in Selayang, on July 5, 2020. — Picture by FIKRI YUSOF/SELANGORKINI

KBS tightens SOP for phase five opening of sports, recreational sectors

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will implement several additional measures to ensure the compliance of the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the fifth phase opening of sports and recreational sectors.

The ministry in a statement issued yesterday announced that sports championship or tournament organisers require prior approval from the ministry through the sports commissioner before the event can be held.

The organisers have to be responsible and provide written guarantees, in addition to creating a squad to monitor and oversee the compliance of SOP throughout the duration of the event.

The ministry also stressed that any participant or event personnel for team sports and combat sports from conditional movement control order (CMCO) areas are required to undergo an RTK antigen swab test three days before the event begins in a Recovery movement control order (RMCO) area.

The same rule will be used if there are any participants from RMCO areas participating in events held in CMCO areas.

In addition, the ministry said that quarantine-based accommodation for event participants would be implemented for sporting events in CMCO areas. The number of supporters allowed to such events is limited to 10 per cent of the venue’s seating capacity, or 4,000 people and subject to changes announced by the government.

Under the new guidelines, the prize-giving ceremony on podiums can be conducted without involving guests and prize presenters for events held in CMCO areas, while approval for mass sporting events such as runs, cycling events, marathons and triathlons are limited to 500 participants for RMCO areas.

Regarding foreign nationals’ participation, entry and exit approval for foreigners to participate any sporting event in Malaysia would require confirmation or support from the ministry, in addition to approval from the Malaysian Immigration Department or the International Trade and Industry Ministry’s One Stop Centre.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican previously mentioned that the implementation of phase five (supporters in stadiums on a small scale) and phase six (large scale attendance of supporters in stadiums and foreign athletes participating in local events) of the sports and recreational sectors would be implemented before the end of the year.

The decision, however, was subject to the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

— Bernama

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