Keeping fit
Millions turn up for National Sports Day.
Millions of Malaysians spent a healthy day out as the Hari Sukan Negara (National Sports Day) was celebrated for a second time.
There were all sorts of activities, ranging from strenuous exercises like long distance runs, cycling and football to fun games involving children.
Hari Sukan Negara is held on the second Saturday of October each year.
This year’s programme started in a big way in Putrajaya with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launching the event.
And it wasn’t just about sports and exercise. It was also a great show of unity, proving that sports can bring everyone together.
Simultaneous events were held yesterday in each state and district under the programme which aims to make Malaysia a sporting nation.
A total of 22,500 sports activities tailored to the capabilities of every group were held at state and district level, ranging from light exercises to a 21km run at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.
Among those who took part were 5.7 million pupils and teachers from 10,820 schools nationwide.
It was also celebrated in 104 Malaysian embassies worldwide which organised sporting activities.
An initiative of the Youth and Sports Ministry, the event encourages Malaysians to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle.
Najib commended Malaysians for their participation and said the number of participants increased from 5.1 million last year.
He said that taking part in sports should not be something which Malaysians did only once a year during Hari Sukan Negara, but should be a yearlong affair.
“This is to create a fit and healthy Malaysia, so the definition of Hari Sukan Negara should be expanded to encourage all Malaysians to take part in sporting activities every day if possible,” he told a crowd of thousands who had gathered as early as 6am in front of the Finance Ministry in Precinct 2.
With the country’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes present at the event, Najib said there was no better medium than sports in uniting Malaysians.
“Our heroes in the Olympics fought for us, and we feel so proud of them despite being thousands of miles away.
“With their accomplishments, we felt that we were standing taller as Malaysians, as their success inspired us and shone a light on our country’s image,” he said.
Najib said sports should be made a culture among Malaysians in order to achieve a healthy life, and strengthen unity and patriotism.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, later joined the crowd in light exercises before cycling from the Finance Ministry’s building to the Palace of Justice located 1km away.