Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar has urged Malaysians to be more physically active, after a study shows only 40% of the citizens are practicing healthy lifestyles by incorporating sports into their daily lives.
“It’s not surprising to see modern countries such as Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom topping the medal charts at the Olympics because they practice good sporting cultures.
“How are we going to find a replacement for the likes of Lee Chong Wei, Nicol David, Azizulhasni Awang and Pandelela Rinong if we don’t partake in sports?
“We won’t know when there’ll be an up-and-coming athlete with their world class talent after this,” he told the press after launching the HSN21KM marathon event yesterday.
According to Khairy, the Ministry of Youth and Sports are trying to motivate Malaysians to take up sports by organising events such as Hari Sukan Negara, which can also help in reducing health problems such as heart attack, high blood pressure and diabetes.
“We have set a target to have more than 60% Malaysians getting involved in sports for at least three times a week,” he added.
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