Sarawak will host hundreds of sport managers later this year at an event ministers hope will position the region as a ‘regional sports powerhouse.’
The Malaysian state, on the island of Borneo, has won hosting rights for the 2023 Asian Association for Sport Management Conference (AASM 2023) – claiming victory for Sarawak as the first East Malaysian destination to host the conference. Approximately 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference.
The biennial event will welcome a delegation from the Gulf Countries Sport Management Association (GCSMA) who helped organise the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It will be the first time the GCSMA has attended the event, which has been held in Malaysia twice since it was established in 2002.
AASM 2023 will take place at Imperial Hotel Kuching from 19-20 August and will be a significant point for local, national, and international sports stakeholders, sports students, academics, and those employed by the industry to explore potential research collaborations, internship placements and data management opportunities.
The event will be organised and hosted by the Asian Association for Sport Management (AASM), Curtin University Miri and Sport Management & Administration Association Malaysia (SMAS), with SMAS as the local host.
The theme for AASM 2023 is The Asian Sport Industry and the Sustainability Agenda: Action and Education through Sport which perfectly echoes the Sarawak Government’s efforts in prioritising its sustainability agendas and aligning the destination’s development path with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Sustainability is one of the three aspirational pillars of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy, one of our objectives in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development is to develop a more balanced sports policy for youths and other categories of the sports communities,” said Sarawak’s minister of youth, sports and entrepreneur development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“This sustainability-driven approach towards sports development will benefit our industry in the long run, therefore we are well on our way to future-proofing the sports industry and communities. AASM 2023 can elevate that position to make Sarawak a regional sports powerhouse and a good contender in the global sports world”.
Dr Wirdati Mohd Radzi, the advisor to Asian Association for Sport Management and Sport Management & Administration Association Malaysia added: “We are making a conscious effort to elevate Malaysia as the regional sport management hub for ASEAN and Asia by showcasing Sarawak – and Malaysia – as a major sports management and sports conference hub for future international event. We appreciate that the Sarawak Government has a solid vision for sports and high regard for business events. AASM and SMAS look forward to further collaborating with Sarawak and the state’s sports industry to make Sarawak and Malaysia a sporting powerhouse.”
Meanwhile, BESarawak is supporting AASM 2023 and believes that there is a much bigger impact from hosting the conference than just the exchange of knowledge and business cards.
“There is a legacy to be made with AASM 2023 especially when Sarawak vyes to become a sports powerhouse for Asia and the world,” said Amelia Roziman, BESarawak’s CEO. “We see business events as powerful platforms to connect sports associations, corporate players, practitioners, and government bodies in a single, inspiring setting. In the case of AASM 2023, not only will the sports sector grow because of the conference, but we truly believe that Sarawak can achieve the position of being a powerhouse through the opportunities available in AASM 2023.
AASM 2023 comes in a timely manner as Sarawak was recently chosen to host the 2024 Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) Games.
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James Lancaster
AMI editor James
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