From playground to podium, Goh sows Olympics seed through Kidslympic
One for the album: Former mixed doubles shuttler Goh Liu Ying (back row, centre) posing with participants of the Kidslympic programme.
PETALING JAYA: Kids can start their journey towards realising their Olympic dreams from a young age thanks to Kidslympic Malaysia.
Former shuttler Goh Liu Ying, who captured silver in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics with Chan Peng Soon in the mixed doubles, started the initiative to encourage more children under the age of 12 to take up sports.
In this year's edition, athletics, swimming, 3x3 basketball, volleyball, football, gymnastics and obstacle race will be contested from Oct 10-12 at PNB Merdeka Ventures Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
The event was launched on Sunday, thanks to the partnership with Affin Bank and Watsons Malaysia as the main partners.
'I started Kidslympic with the main intention of helping children develop a better understanding of health and fitness,' said Liu Ying.
'For kids who may be interested in pursuing sports professionally but are still unsure of where their strengths lie, Kidslympic can serve as a platform for them to explore and discover which type of sport suits them best.
'This is actually one of the first sporting events in Malaysia specifically for children under the age of 12.
'It's somewhat similar to National Schools (MSSM) or inter schools championships but without the pressure and competitiveness that often come with it.
'MSSM have limited slots and requires students to go through school-based selections, but Kidslympic is open to all primary school children under 12, giving more kids the opportunity to participate,' added Liu Ying.
Liu Ying's achievements as an athlete also spurred her to create Kidslympic.
Kidslympic was first held last December and featured five sports – athletics, softball, volleyball, gymnastics and modern pentathlon, where 800 took part.
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