Published: Saturday November 21, 2009 MYT 4:03:00 PM
8 public universities to become centres for sports excellence
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD
KUANTAN: The Higher Education Ministry has identified eight public universities with potentials to be developed as centres of excellence for sports or COESport.
The universities include Universiti Putra Malaysia (rugby), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (cricket), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (rowing) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (football).
The COESports are expected to be operational by early of next year.
Its deputy minister Dr Hou Kok Chung said niche sports could be developed more effectively.
''It can also extend its education access to students towards creating a generation of thinking athletes,'' he said in his speech before officially closing a workshop on action policy for sports development in public universities and guidelines to set COESport here Saturday.
Hou also said COESport would provide a clear direction on how to groom skilled people in sports, recreational and health by providing professional training programmes.
These centres would be a reference point for the selected sports and would include talent scouting, research, studies, analysis and tests aimed at enhancing the athletes' achievements as well as developing the games, he added.
Hou also said 15 more public universities would be developed as development centres for focus sport (DCFSport).
''For a start, DCFSport will emphasise ways to beef up sports activities and programmes.
''Their progress and development will be monitored and supervised and if they show good progress, DCFSport will be turned into COESport,'' he added.
When met after the function, Hou said he hoped the same concept could be introduced in private universities.
He added that sports development was something that had not been getting enough attention in universities and it was about time that a more concrete move be implemented.
He noted that emphasis was more on academic excellence and less on sports excellence.
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