KUALA LUMPUR (March 31): Sarawak is set to host the 2023 Asian Association for Sport Management Conference (AASM 2023), making it the first East Malaysian destination to host the conference.

In a statement on Wednesday (March 29), Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the AASM 2023 will take place at Imperial Hotel Kuching from Aug 19 to 20, and will be a significant point for local, national and international sports stakeholders, sports students, academics and those employed by the industry to explore potential research collaborations, internship placements and data management opportunities.

He said besides being the first AASM conference in East Malaysia and the third in Malaysia after the conference was last hosted eight years ago, the AASM 2023 in Sarawak will be the first in the AASM’s conference history to welcome members of the Gulf Countries Sport Management Association, whose knowledge and experience in organising the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar will be highly motivating and beneficial for delegates, especially in organising sustainable, mega sporting events.

The theme for the AASM 2023 is The Asian Sport Industry and the Sustainability Agenda: Action and Education through Sport, which perfectly echoes the Sarawak government’s efforts in prioritising its sustainability agendas and aligning the destination’s development path with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Abdul Karim said sustainability is one of the three aspirational pillars of Sarawak's Post Covid-19 Development Strategy, adding that one of the objectives of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development is to develop a more balanced sports policy for the youth and other categories of the sports communities.

“This sustainability-driven approach towards sports development will definitely benefit our industry in the long run, therefore we are well on our way to future-proofing the sports industry and communities,” he said.