The Kedah Weightlifting Association has called on the Education Ministry (KPM) to include weightlifting in the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) championships.

Its president, Datuk Mohd Rawi Hamid said the move would help produce more weightlifters among school students who could represent Malaysia in the sport at international level.

"Now weightlifting only involves training in school but it is not competed in MSSM meets. So it should not be a problem for KPM to add weightlifting to the present list of sports.

"If we look at Thailand, students as young as seven years old are being trained in the sport and I am confident we can also produce more weightlifters in future if the sport is given serious attention by the ministry," he told a media conference at Wisma Darul Aman here today.

Earlier, he had officiated the inaugural annual general meeting of the Kedah Weightlifting Association and said the establishment of the association was an effort to make weightlifting as a leading sport in the state.

-- BERNAMA