KANGAR, Oct 12 — National Sports Day (HSN) is the best platform to strengthen unity and solidarity through the involvement of various races and communities while promoting an active lifestyle and healthy culture, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

He said efforts to empower the people must be enhanced, especially to ensure that the younger generation remains fit and healthy in the context of Malaysia Madani, as well as to elevate sports to a higher level.

"National Sports Day demonstrates the government’s commitment to recognising the importance of sports in shaping a fit, productive and united society. It has been made a national agenda to transform Malaysia into a sporting nation.

"Since its introduction in 2015, National Sports Day has been celebrated for almost a decade with the aim of increasing Malaysians’ active participation in sports, in line with the strategies outlined in the National Sports Vision 2030 and the Malaysia Madani framework,” he said.

He was speaking at the launch of the Perlis-level National Sports Day 2024 celebration at the Tuanku Syed Putra Sports Complex here today. Also present was Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli.

HSN is scheduled for every second Saturday of October with the goal of promoting sports and encouraging a fit and active lifestyle among the public.

However, the state and division-level HSN celebration in Sarawak will be rescheduled to Oct 19 out of respect for the birthday celebration of Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, today.

Fadillah highlighted that the HSN initiative has seen the participation of 36 million people from 2015 to last year, and the Malaysian Sports Culture Index (IBSM) shows an increase in public participation in sports, with a score of 52 per cent in 2023 compared to 48 per cent in 2022.

"The government spends billions on public healthcare. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, so participating in sports and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, are important aspects that I hope all Malaysians will prioritise in their daily lives,” he said.

He emphasised that this is crucial because a healthy population leads to a more productive country and can reduce the rising healthcare costs year after year.

"Therefore, programmes like HSN that are implemented every year are hoped can invigorate the culture of fitness among all levels of society,” he said.

Additionally, Fadillah announced that the government is focusing on senior citizens through the organisation of the Senior Citizens Sports Carnival as part of the HSN 2024 celebrations.

He pointed out that the government recognises the importance of ensuring that senior citizens, who are a significant part of society, have equal rights to participate in sports and recreational activities.

"The population of Malaysians aged 60 and above reached 11.3 per cent (3.8 million) in 2023 and is projected to rise to 15.3 per cent by 2030, and eventually to 20 per cent by 2040.

"Therefore, efforts to improve health must begin now so that by 2030, the country will have an active and healthy elderly population,” he added. — Bernama