DEBAK: Traditional sports risk fading away but combining the experience of veterans with the energy of youths could secure their future, said Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat.
He noted that traditional sports such as gasing (top spinning) have long been cultural treasures, yet participation today is largely limited to older generations.
While today’s youths are more inclined towards online gaming, this trend has reduced their involvement in outdoor physical activities, he added.
“If we don’t highlight traditional sports or encourage the younger generation to take part, there is a real risk that these cultural games will eventually disappear, as most of the participants now are veterans,” he told reporters during the BeliaGoBiz event in Debak today.
Ripin stressed that traditional sports are part of the nation’s heritage and should continue to be practised.
He added that the ministry, through programmes like BeliaGoBiz, hopes to bridge the gap between veteran players and younger participants to revive interest in ‘sukan rakyat’ .
“Our hope is to create opportunities for both the older and younger generations to come together, keeping these traditional sports alive for the future,” he said.
Also present at the event were Deputy Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Razi Sitam, Betong Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Richard Rapu, and Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dolhadi Marzuki.
