Syed Saddiq wants esports to be enjoyed all around Malaysia

The Youth and Sports Ministry wants to ensure the development of esports to be enjoyed at all levels nationwide, according to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The minister said through the Esports Strategic Development Plan, the government would ensure an allocation of RM20 million from Budget 2020 towards the development of esports.

He stressed that KBS would propose to organise a league system for esports to produce more competitive athletes at international level, apart from giving space to new teams to compete more professionally.

"In the future, we will have our first National League held at state level so that esports could be felt at all levels of the country and not just in urban areas.

"At the same time, we want the development of this industry to be more vibrant by organising more tournaments at international level.

"We want to ensure more investments in esports from abroad," he said after launching the Esports Development Strategic Plan at Universiti Malaya on Thursday.

When tabling Budget 2020 at Dewan Rakyat last month, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the government recognised the huge potential of esports, which will be one of the medal events at the 2019 SEA Games and 2022 Asian Games, and would provide RM20 million allocation in 2020.

The Esports Strategic Development Plan emphasises on five main strategies, covering stakeholders in the industry such as professional players, industry drivers, investors and government agencies.

The five-year strategic plan from 2020 to 2025 is in line with the efforts of the government to ensure that esports grows throughout the country.

Malaysia received recognition as among the countries capable of attracting and opening opportunities for the esports industry following the successful organising of several series of championships at global level such as the Kuala Lumpur Major, Mobile Legends World Championship 2019 and World Esports Games (WESG).