The Star Malaysia

It’s show time, Khairy tells ‘Wau Factor’

- By TAN MING WAI

KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has rallied a 13,000-strong team of volunteers to help make KL 2017 the best ever in SEA Games history.

Khairy hopes the volunteers will live up to their name – “Wau Factor” – when they carry out their duties at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games from Aug 19-30 and the Asean Para Games from Sept 17-23.

The 13,000 volunteers, mostly university students, are aged between 16 and 82. A total of 54,971 applied for the jobs in May last year. They were put through basic and specific training, which ended in April.

Now, Khairy wants the country’s “ambassador­s and secret weapons” to put up a good show at the two Games.

“It’s show time,” Khairy addressed the crowd at the “Wau Factor” final assembly at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

“You guys are the performers. So go out there and give the best performanc­e of your life and show to the world what Malaysia’s all about.

“If you put everything you have learned into practice, then KL 2017 will become the most successful Games in history.”

Six Malaysian Games-bound athletes – sprinter Khairul Hafiz Jantan, discus thrower Muhd Irfan Shamsuddin, long jumper Abdul Latif Romly, squash player S. Sivasangar­i and bowlers Rafiq Ismail and Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi – also took time off their training to attend the event yesterday.

 ?? — IBRAHIM MOHTAR/ The Star ?? Say cheese:
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (centre) taking photograph­s of the SEA Games volunteers at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
— IBRAHIM MOHTAR/ The Star Say cheese: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (centre) taking photograph­s of the SEA Games volunteers at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

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