KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Having waited 20 years for wushu to be classified as a sports activity in schools, the Wushu Federation of Malaysia (WFM) now hope that it will be included in next year’s Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) calendar.
In thanking the High-Level Committee (HLC) for Sports Development, Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and Ministry of Education (MOE), WFM president Datuk Chong Kim Fatt said they have been striving for a long time to get wushu classified as a sports activity in schools.
He said when combat sports like wushu, karate, taekwondo, and silat were classified as uniformed-body activities, it made it difficult to develop the sports from the grassroots level and it also reduced the chances of exponents having an advantage like other sports.
“Thank you also to the Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, as she managed to classify combat sports as sports events just four months after we informed her. We have the green light, now it is time to start planning and taking action.
“We need to hold discussions through a committee with the KBS, NSC (National Sports Council) and MOE to include combat sports in the MSSM calendar,” Chong said when met recently.
Yeoh, who announced the decision to reclassify combat sports after attending the HLC meeting earlier this month, said this was to ensure martial arts athletes in schools will have the same recognition as those from other sports in line with the Sports Development Act 1997 (Act 576).
Meanwhile, the president said WFM will also focus on the development of the Sanda (combat) discipline, which is seen to be lagging behind Taolu (art/technique), to increase the chances of winning more medals at the international level, especially in the SEA Games.
— Bernama
