Malaysian Masters Athletics Association president S. Sivapragasam (third from right) accepting a token from the Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh during the opening of the inaugural KBS Masters Games.
The inaugural KBS Masters Games, held in November last year, marked a significant milestone in Malaysian sports, shining a spotlight on senior athletes and promoting the importance of maintaining good life expectancy through healthy lifestyles among the elderly.
Spanning 13 venues across Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, this groundbreaking event was conceptualised to address the increasing need for senior-friendly sports initiatives as Malaysia approaches aging nation status.
In 2024, 11.6% of Malaysia’s 34.1 million population were classified as elderly, while a country is considered an ageing nation when 15% of its population is aged 60 and above.
In her speech at the official opening of the Games, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh emphasised that the KBS Masters Games were more than just a competition – they symbolised a celebration of health, resilience and lifelong sportsmanship.
“Active involvement in sports not only helps individuals feel healthier and reduces the risk of disease, but also allows the government to redirect medical resources to other areas for the benefit of all Malaysians,” she said.
She also expressed hope that the Games would inspire future editions with greater participation, even at district and state levels.
Despite the registration period being open for less than a month, the Games amassed 1,522 entries from both high-performance athletes and community-level sports enthusiasts aged 40 and above.
The KBS Masters Games contested 12 sports, namely swimming, badminton, cycling, chess, field bowling, archery, athletics, table tennis, sepak takraw, electronic sports, pickleball and pétanque.
One for the album: KBS Masters Games athletes with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh (centre).
For S. Sivapragasam, president of the Malaysian Masters Athletics Association (MMAA), the Games represented long-awaited recognition for senior athletes.
“After all their contributions to the nation, this event was a meaningful acknowledgment,” he says, expressing hope that the KBS Masters Games would become an annual event.
As part of its ongoing commitment to providing platforms for senior athletes, the association played a key role in the inaugural Games, being tasked with organising the Games’ athletics component.
While the KBS Masters Games are new to Malaysia’s sporting landscape, Masters Games have been organised internationally and regionally in countries such as Taiwan, Japan and Thailand for over two decades.
“It’s new in Malaysia, and we are pleased that the country finally has its own Masters Games for senior athletes to participate in,” says Sivapragasam who is also the secretary of Asia Masters Athletics.
However, senior sporting events are not entirely new to Malaysia. The country has hosted the Asia Veteran/Masters Athletics Championships three times – in 1990, 2010, and 2019.
“The 2019 championships, held in Kuching, Sarawak, attracted 2,330 participants from 29 countries,” Sivapragasam notes. “And that was for Masters athletics only.”
It is no surprise that out of 12 sports contested in the KBS Masters Games, masters athletics sent the most athletes with total participants of 285 athletes.
“We had eight categories with 100 over events and 300 medals to be presented within the two days during the games,” Sivapragasam says.
