Futsal is among the sports that have requested to be part of the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) calendar.
The Education Ministry is studying that proposal.
The ministry’s Sports, Co-Curriculum and Arts Division director, Ithnin Mahadi, said several sports are eager to be part of the national schools championships.
“We are open to having new sports. Futsal, for example, has requested to be part of the MSSM. We are studying the proposal and have held discussions with the relevant bodies about their potential inclusion in the future,” said Ithnin.
“This is the same for the other alternative sports. There is a procedure to follow. We can’t just add new sports. Right now, we have 24 sports that will be played across the country starting in May,” he added.
The 24 sports that will feature in the 2025 season of the MSSM championships are archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, aquatics, badminton, basketball, bowling, chess, cricket, cross country, football, golf, handball, hockey, netball, rugby, rhythmic gymnastics, sailing, sepak takraw, softball, squash, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball.
The bulk of this year’s championships will be held between May and September, with only athletics taking place in August in Perlis.
Sabah and Labuan will not host any event this year, while Sarawak will organise rhythmic gymnastics from Sept 13-18. As a cost-saving measure, the three East Malaysian members take turns to host the events.
One sport that is gaining popularity in Malaysia is pickleball. The sport has been included in next year’s Malaysia Games. However, there has been no proposal for it to be part of MSSM.
Education Ministry director-general, Azman Adnan, hopes to see more participants in this year’s MSSM championships.
Speaking at the launch of the MSSM calendar on Tuesday, Azman said that 12,259 students competed in the MSSM a year ago. He, however, reiterated that the focus will remain on the core sports.
“Besides the existing athletes, we want school children who are not active to be involved in at least one sport.
“As such, the one child, one sport agenda must be enforced all over the country to promote a healthier population.”
