KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 4,700 sports associations and clubs in Malaysia were recorded as inactive or facing problems between 2020 and 2025, says Mordi Bimol (pic).
The Deputy Youth and Sports Minister said 4,687 organisations were affected during the period, comprising 23 national-level bodies, 206 at state level, 486 district-level associations and 3,972 clubs.
Some of these organisations faced governance-related issues, including breaches of their constitutions and violations of the Sports Development Act 1997, he said.
“To strengthen sports bodies, a governance enhancement programme has been implemented, focusing on guidance and training to improve management efficiency,” Mordi told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Feb 5).
He said the Sports Dispute Committee serves as a mechanism under Section 24 of the Sports Development Act 1997 to provide advice and assistance in resolving disputes within sports organisations when internal mechanisms fail.
“The ministry will continue to strengthen monitoring and support to help sports bodies improve governance, reactivate associations and ensure national sports development is carried out in an orderly and integrated manner,” he added.
Mordi was responding to a question from Batu Pahat lawmaker Onn Abu Bakar, who sought details on inactive or problematic sports bodies between 2020 and 2025, including governance, financial and membership issues, as well as recovery measures undertaken by the ministry.
Onn also raised concerns over the declining influence of youth organisations, saying many were struggling to engage Gen-Z members, and asked what steps the government was taking to revitalise them as platforms for youth advocacy.
In response, Mordi said the ministry remained focused on strengthening youth organisations to ensure they stayed relevant for leadership development, participation and advocacy, particularly amid shifting social and demographic trends.
He cited the implementation of an age limit of 15 to 30 under the Youth Organisations and Development (Amendment) Act 2019, which came into effect on Jan 1, aimed at ensuring a more structured and dynamic regeneration of youth leadership aligned with young people’s aspirations.
Mordi said RM2.5mil was allocated last year to support 431 youth organisations under the Youth Development and Rakan Muda Assistance Fund, adding that the allocation would continue this year.
