KUALA LUMPUR:Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the ministry is still not ready to implement Phases Five and Six for the sports and recreation sector following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

"I think not just Malaysia, but other countries which initially allowed (the presence of) fans have also rescinded their decisions," he told reporters after launching the Esports Integrated (ESI) here today.

The ESI is a new initiative from the ministry and driven by Impact Integrated to boost the growth and diversity in the local e-sport industry.

Phase Five in the sports and recreation sector refers to allowing fans into stadiums on a small scale while Phase Six calls for the return of fans to stadiums on a large scale as well as the participation of foreign athletes in local competitions.

The local sports and recreation sector is currently under Phase Four, which was implemented on Aug 15, where local tournaments can be held for body-contact sports but minus the fans.

Meanwhile, Reezal said the formation of ESI would not lead to a duplication of roles with the Malaysia Electronic Sport Federation (MESF).

"MESF is a national sports body. It's like the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) and NSC (National Sports Council) where there's no duplication. NSC is the one to forward initiatives from the government while the one executing and implementing it at the national level is FAM. I don't see any duplication," he said.

Asked if e-sports would receive an additional allocation, Reezal said that although he had held engagement sessions with the Finance Ministry, it was still too soon to know as it would depend on the government's financial capability.

-- BERNAMA