Undeterred by tough competition, Sarawak has won hosting rights for the 2023 Asian Association for Sport Management Conference (AASM 2023) – claiming victory for Sarawak as the first East Malaysian destination to host the conference.
Besides being the first AASM conference in East Malaysia and the third in Malaysia after the conference was last hosted 8 years ago, AASM 2023 in Sarawak will be the first in 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 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 (SDGs).
“Sustainability is one of the three aspirational pillars of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy, one of our objectives in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development is to develop a more balanced sports policy for youths and other categories of the sports communities,” said Sarawak’s Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at today’s press conference. “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.”
The Minister also believes that considering Sarawak has a strong sports reputation in the region, “AASM 2023 can elevate that position to make Sarawak a regional sports powerhouse and a good contender in the global sports world”.