KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — The National Sports Day 2022 (HSN2022) celebration will be held as usual on Saturday, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

He said that despite speculation about Parliament being dissolved soon, the annual celebration is scheduled to be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at Dataran Kompleks Istana Kehakiman, Putrajaya.

"I want to emphasise that, so far, the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) has no intention or inclination to postpone the National Sports Day that will be celebrated on October 8. All the states will also organise the HSN on the same day.

"Messages that have gone viral saying the KBS will postpone the HSN are not true. To us, sport is a tool of unity and, with too much polemic against politics now, I hope the HSN will unite the people,” he told reporters after launching the Kuala Lumpur Sports Industry Expo (EISKL) 2022 in Bukit Jalil today.

The KBS had previously stated that among the programmes that would be for the HSN2020 are the Putrajaya Night Marathon HSN2022, Water Sports Carnival, National Climbing Sports Carnival, e-sports tournament, Let’s Get Fit, M-Games and EISKL.

HSN2022 also involves strategic collaboration with the private sector and NGOs to ensure the involvement of Malaysians at all levels.

HSN2021 was celebrated across the country in a hybrid manner following the Covid-19 pandemic while HSN2020 had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

The first edition of HSN in 2015 made it to the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for the Organisation of the Most Sports Activities Simultaneously in One Day with a total of 17,648 sports activities and attracting the participation of over five million people. — Bernama