Sports Development Act 1997 to be amended by next year: Khairy

PUTRAJAYA: As early as next year, organisers of sporting events that fail to obtain approval from the Sports Commissioner's Office (SCO) will face a fine of up to RM500,000, once the law is amended.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the amendment to the Sports Development Act 1997 is at its final stages, with the final draft to be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chamber (AGC) very soon, before it was brought up to Parliament.
He explained that the amendment was first discussed in 2015, but had taken some time to be finalised as it was a comprehensive one not only limited to the issues of event organisers, requiring the ministry to engage with all relevant stakeholders.
"The draft is with my legal officers. If there is a sitting in Parliament in March before the General Election, then we will push it for then. However, it is subject to the AGC approving the amendment.
"I cannot promise it will be done in March. But it's safe to say the amendments will be done by next year," he told a press conference after an event, here, yesterday, adding that this would be the first time the act was amended.
Khairy was referring to the ministry's plan to expedite the amendment after the organiser of the Klang City International Marathon 2017, Earth Runners Int Group Sdn Bhd, was found to have organised the event without approval from SCO, breaching Section 36 of the act.
During the event on Sunday, pacer Evelyn Ang, 44, was among three people hit by a car at around 4.30am along Jalan Kapar Batu 2, and is in critical condition after sustaining serious head injuries.
Khairy said in the meantime the ministry, together with SCO, would discuss what steps could be taken to address the issue of unlicensed sporting events.
"It is true there are events that do not have the commission's consent, so we have to come up with some interim decision," he said.
Khairy added that the SCO was only a regulator and not an enforcement agency, and that it would require the help of the public, as well as other enforcement agencies to inform them on events that were conducted without a license.
"That's why I reminded time and again for the police and local governments to check with the SCO whether an event has a license. They must refer to us, before giving approval for the venue and what not," he said.
Khairy said this after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ceremony between the ministry and industry players, as well as officiating the kick-off of an autism cafe, called Kafe Rimau.