Live coverage for 24 hours in SEA Games - Khairy

Sports enthusiasts in the region are be entertained with high quality live coverage during the upcoming Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, as 24 sports out of 38 sports contested at the Games will be broadcasted live.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said, the number comprised live coverage for more than 60 per cent of the total sporting events from different venues, through televised broadcasting and internet streaming from Aug 19-31.

"This will be the most live coverage that we will have in the entire history of the Games. So far I am quite happy with the cooperation we are receiving from the regional broadcasters.

"The Malaysian SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC) want to make sure that we put on the best show for the excitement of spectators in the venue as well as viewers from home through high quality broadcasting," he told reporters after opening the 2nd host broadcaster meeting here, today.

Fifteen broadcasters from seven ASEAN countries as well as one international broadcaster, International Games Broadcast Services (IGBS) from Switzerland, attended the meeting.

Khairy, who is also the MASOC chairman said broadcasters had to play a crucial role, in showcasing the exciting moments, human drama, joy of victory and agony of defeat of the athletes during the SEA Games to the public around the globe, especially in ASEAN.

On the venues preparation, Khairy said the Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil is 80 per cent completed and scheduled for handover in July, while the Nilai Velodrome is to be opened next month.

Meanwhile, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) honorary secretary Datuk Low Beng Choo said with the establishment of SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) Broadcasting Committee last week, the main goal was to have the Games reach as many people as possible in the region.

"In line with the SEA Games theme of 'Rise Together', we want to make sure the high quality of the broadcast and it goes to as many countries as possible including Timor Leste.

"The schedule for broadcasting had been fixed...It not only covers focus sports for Malaysia but also those for other countries and other less popular and bnews sports such as speed skating," she said.

The 24 sports selected for live coverage are athletics, aquatics (diving, swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo), football, cycling (track), bowling, billiards and snooker, rugby 7s, weightlifting, table tennis and gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic).

Also selected are ice skating (speed), boxing, muay, karate, taekwondo, pencak silat, wushu, basketball, badminton, netball, sepak takraw, squash, archery and hockey. - BERNAMA