KL2017 athletes asked to return to their states for HSN celebration

KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pix) wants all athletes who took part in the 29th SEA Games and 9th ASEAN Para Games (KL2017) which Kuala Lumpur hosted to return to their states to further enliven the National Sports Day (HSN) celebration on Oct 14.
"All states and districts will have their own activities, so I have instructed all athletes who took part in KL2017 to return to their own states to make the celebrations there grander.
"The national-level celebration will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak at 11am (on Oct 14) at the National Stadium compound in Bukit Jalil," he told reporters after attending the Batik Fun Walk 2017 at Balai Seni Visual Negara here today.
Among the activities line up for the HSN in Bukit Jalil are runs, cycling, netball and futsal competitions, traditional sports and and fitness activities.
The HSN celebration which is held on the second Saturday in Oct annually is an initiative to make Malaysia a sporting nation.
On the issue of doping at KL2017 , Khairy stressed that he wanted all athletes to stay away from substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
"Don't do it, how many more programmes must we carry out to get the message across? Programmes on this (doping awareness) are ongoing and we will do more in future," he said.
A Malaysian gold medallist at KL2017 is reported to have failed doping tests and is believed to have taken sibutramine, meant for slimming, but is disallowed by WADA.
Meanwhile, Penyayang chief executive officer Datuk Leela Mohd Ali said the Batik Fun Walk 2017 covering 3.8 km, which entered its 15th edition, received the best response yet.
"Last year we had 2,800 participants, this year we did not expect the number to hit 3,200. Some registered as walk-in participants," she said.
The event jointly organised by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia (Penyayang) and the Youth and Sports Ministry enlists sporting events to promote batik.
The collection from the registration fees will be channeled to Penyayang Pesakit Kanser (PPK) to support cancer patients at the National Cancer Institute and the Putrajaya Hospital. — Bernama