Sports minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the application involves phases five and six of the gradual reopening of sports and recreation.
Stage 5 would allow spectators into stadiums on a small scale. Stage 6 involves the presence of supporters on a larger scale, as well as the participation of foreign athletes in local tournaments.
“I had previously said that there should be three or four exit and entry points for football (at stadiums). Maybe we can provide standard procedures. However, currently, there is no place in the world where spectators are allowed to attend football matches,” he said.
“So, I think we can begin it gradually and in stages. We do not want to open it up too quickly.
“There could be a sharp increase in transmission of Covid-19 cases and we would end up with a sports cluster. This would erode not only the confidence of the people but also the government in terms of granting us the permission (to operate again),” he told reporters.
Reezal was at Wisma OCM for a dialogue with national sports associations in conjunction with the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s executive council meeting.
The government had previously announced the third phase of the reopening of the sports and recreation sector, which came into effect on July 15, where sports and recreational activities with physical contact, as well as the organising of local tournaments and competitions for non-contact sports without spectators, have been allowed.
The fourth phase, starting Aug 15, will allow the organising of local tournaments and competitions for contact sports without spectators, including the M-League competition.
In another development, Reezal said a task force would soon be set up to review the effectiveness of the Podium Programme which began in 2015, with the aim of securing Malaysia’s first gold medal at the Olympics.
He said the special task force would be led by former National Sports Institute chief executive Ramlan Abd Aziz.
Team sports and martial arts to resume in Sabah from Monday
The Sabah state government has decided to allow sports and recreational activities in the state to resume from Monday (July 20).
Chief Minister Shafie Apdal said the permission was for sports such as football, rugby, basketball, netball and squash, as well as combat sports such as karate, silat, taekwondo, wushu and judo.
“Local sports tournaments or competitions without an audience and not involving mass gatherings for non-contact sports, such as motorsports and individual sports, are also allowed,” he said in a statement here today.
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