Commissioner deregisters over 800 sports associations, bodies from Jan-Aug

PUTRAJAYA – A total of 828 sports associations and bodies were deregistered by the sports commissioner in the first eight months of this year because they were found to be inactive.

Principal assistant sports commissioner Hatta Mohd Yasin said that since 2014, out of 12,263 sports bodies registered under the Sports Commissioner’s Office, more than 3,000 associations and sports bodies from various levels have had their registration revoked.

“Statistics show roughly around 800 (were deregistered this year), due to (among others) not sending annual reports for a long period of time, more than three years.

“If deregistered, the effect is that the associations involved will no longer be able to send their athletes for competitions and when terminated, their finances will be frozen as well,” he told the media after the 2022 Anti-Corruption Programme for the Management of Government Funding Assistance to Sports Bodies here today.

Also present was the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Community Education Division director Datuk Razim Mohd Noor. 

Hatta added that before deregistration is done, the commissioner will first issue reminder letters to the bodies and associations involved to send the requested reports and documents.

Meanwhile, Razim said the MACC found corruption existed in the country’s sports industry in terms of fund management and other areas.

“It involves those who are greedy or want an easy way to get money, causing the purpose of the funds not reaching the target groups,” he said.

He added that the MACC was willing to lend a hand in the governance of sports associations or bodies but would not compromise if any corrupt activities were found. – Bernama, September 25, 2022