Title IX a model system for Malaysia to develop women athletes

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will follow the Title IX introduced by the United States in 1972 to enhance the progress of women in sports.

Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said that the Title IX was introduced to provide equal access to sports programmes and also financial assistance to both the men and women athletes.

“It was a proven success. Before the Title IX was introduced, there were only 50 women football players in the United States.

“But just two years after it was introduced, there were a total of 50,000 players in women’s football and the US went on to become a powerhouse by winning the World Cup (four times 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019),” said Syed Saddiq.

“There was no women’s NBA (National Basketball Association League) before the Title IX but after it was introduced, it helped the US women’s team to win eight Olympic gold medals.

“In Malaysia, we have talented women athletes and they need proper guidance to do well in sports. We need to focus more on the grassroots level by providing equal financial assistance to further raise the standard of women’s sports in Malaysia.

“I’m happy that the government has allocated RM10mil for women’s sports in the 2020 Budget and this is the first step towards having a larger pool of women athletes in every sport,” said Syed Saddiq during the launch of the Bulan Sukan Negara at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

He also wanted to see more football centres not only for boys but also for girls to have a bigger pool of players.

“We will have a workshop on Oct 21 to discuss further the development of the National Football Academy in all states, especially in rural areas like Sabah and Sarawak,” said Syed Saddiq.

“I’m happy that more people are aware of the importance of sports in Malaysia.”