PUTRAJAYA, March 23 — Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and sports bodies will no longer have to request approval from the sports commissioner from April 10 onwards in order to organise local sports competitions, Youth and Sports (KBS) Minister Hannah Yeoh said today.

Companies who wish to organise sports contests will still have to request approval but the documents for the process have been reduced from nine to three, she told reporters during a press conference held at her ministry this afternoon.

"However, organisers are responsible for getting sanctions/approval from the relevant sports body and insurance to ensure the safety of participants,” she said.

This applies to all sports bodies registered under the Sports Development Act 1997, including associations at the national, state and district level, she added.

The request for licences to organise sports events in East Malaysia will be processed by the relevant sports commissioner’s offices, she said.

The licence fee will be exempted until December 31, 2025 and the duration of processing licence requests has been reduced for local sports events to 14 working days (from 30 days) and 30 working days for international sports events (from 90 days).

Besides that, the ministry now recognises 103 sports, including e-sports, compared to the previous 51 that were recognised under Schedule One of the Sports Development Order (First Schedule Amendment) 2023.

"The list of sports under this Schedule takes into account current types of sports, new sports and current sports that were renamed under Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) and Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM),” she said.

Also, the ministry has amended Schedule Two and Schedule Three regarding issues that must be provided for or stated in the constitution or methods of sports bodies, she said.

It was also done in line with the country’s commitment as a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code and Safe Sports Code that was launched earlier this month, she added.

This provides a guide to ensure a safe sports environment as well as the roles and responsibilities in handling harassment and abuse in sports, she added.

The efforts were made to promote sports activities and to create a sports culture among Malaysians, she said.