Vice Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win addresses first meeting of 2024 Fifth National Sports Festival Holding Steering Committee
Nay Pyi Taw May 28
The 2024 Fifth National Sports Festival Holding Steering Committee held the first meeting at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs here this afternoon, addressed by Patron of the committee Vice Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win.
Present were members (union ministers) of the steering committee, the union auditor-general, the Nay Pyi Taw Council chair, deputy ministers, departmental heads and officials. Region/state chief ministers took part in the meeting through video conferencing.
In his address, the Vice-Senior General said sports promotion amounts to defending the country. Likewise, sports victory reflects national development. And, sports development expresses national prestige and standard. Hence, SAC has been making all-round efforts to raise the standard of the nation's sports.
It is upgrading the youth sector and supporting youth, the country’s main force, to have the five strengths. SAC is also seriously implementing the second point -- To elevate the health and sports sectors inclusive of all the people, improving the longevity and health of the nation -- of the three social objectives included in its nine objectives. Holding sports of various sectors regularly is one of the essential tasks for promoting national sports standards.
Hence, SAC draws yearwise sports calendar and holds sports events and it is now planning to hold the fifth national sports festival in 2024. The past successive governments had organized national sports festivals. The first festival was held in 1992, the second in 1994, and the third in 1997 in Yangon. The fourth festival was held in Nay Pyi Taw in 2015 on a grand scale. SAC has planned to hold the fifth festival in Nay Pyi Taw in December 2024.
There is a six-month period for preparations that must be started now as the task includes national level activities such as advanced gathering programs and training sessions. Hence, the first meeting was held. SAC is holding students sports festivals, inter-state/region sports events, inter-ministry events year round. But the significance of national sports festival is that it is a national level event and has the highest number of teams and athletes from all over the country.
The first point of the festival’s objectives is to further improve national sports standard; the second point is to ensure success at the 2025 33rd SEA games and other international sports meets and to promote national sports standard in accord with slogan -- Myanmar sports to conquer the world, for the emergence of athletes who will bring honour to the country and potential new general athletes, to cement interstate/ region and inter-ministry friendship, accelerate the sports movement, and arouse public interest in sports.
It is important to systematically organize the fifth festival on a grand scale during the administration of SAC as it will be held nearly ten years after the fourth festival. Hence, the steering committee, work committee and 11 subcommittees were set up in advance for the success of the festival. A rough policy for its success has been written and it will be submitted to the Head of State for approval. Every competition will be tough in accord with the festival’s prestige. Officials at all levels should make correct and fair judgments and the athletes should partake with sports spirit and rules. Only then will the festival produce honourable and qualified new general athletes for the 33rd SEA games and other international events. The festival will have two parts: inter-ministry events and inter-state/region events.
The former will have six events and the latter, 23 events and an estimated number of total participants is about 6,500. The National Sports Festival, being a state-level event, requires meticulous planning and implementation to ensure high standards in the opening and closing ceremonies as well as in the sports competitions. Efforts should be made to ensure that athletes can stay comfortably.
The opening and closing ceremonies should be organized in a grand and modern manner, on par with other statelevel events. Additionally, discussions will be held to determine the commemorative logo for the National Sports Festival. Proper documentation of all competitions from start to finish must be carried out systematically to recognize and honor emerging national athletes.
In documenting the events, it is necessary to select only those athletes who achieved first, second, and third places, or those closest to the records, in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games as preliminary candidates for the national team. This will be systematically managed to enable them to participate in international competitions as national representatives. Given that the competitive spirit in sports can lead to intense rivalries, the sub-committee and responsible officials should conduct arbitration to avoid disputes and ensure all competing sports teams are informed of the rules and regulations for each sport. Since the duration of the sports festival will be relatively long, special attention must be paid to security arrangements. To ensure smooth accommodation, it is also necessary to preparein advance for cleanliness and any requirements that may arise in the lodging facilities.
Additionally, regarding health, it is necessary to ensure that athletes have access to healthy and hygienic food. Relevant committees should plan in advance to ensure that the sports venues where the competitions will be held are of high quality and well-maintained. Officials should also coordinate the participation of individuals, experts, and artists from various fields to assist in the opening and closing ceremonies. Since this is a state-level event, it is essential for everyone to actively and enthusiastically collaborate in its organization.
The upcoming National Sports Festival is not just a sports competition; it requires collaborative efforts from various ministries, state and regional governments, national sports federations, former national athletes, NGOs, media personnel, and the public.
Everyone needs to contribute according to their respective roles with a sense of national pride and cooperation. This event is an opportunity to showcase the unity, collaborative spirit, patriotism, and stability of our nation. Therefore, the work committees and sub-committees must strive to successfully carry out their responsibilities and handle any unexpected challenges promptly by reporting to the relevant authorities.
Following that, the Chairman of the Central Committee for the 5th National Sports Festival Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs U Min Thein Zan explained the preparations for the 5th National Sports Festival, the conduct of previous national sports festivals, the formation of work committees and subcommittees, the determination of competition types, the event schedules, and the award presentation plans.
Afterwards, the Chairman of the Opening/Closing Ceremony Organizing Committee Union Minister for the Ministry of Information U Maung Maung Ohn provided a briefing on the plans to conduct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 5th National Sports Festival in a grand and state-level manner that aligns with the contemporary era.
Subsequently, Union Ministers, the Auditor General of the Union, the Chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council, and the Chief Ministers of Regions and States, who are members of the organizing committee, provided explanations according to their respective sectors on ensuring the successful and grand organization of the 5th National Sports Festival.
Following this, the chairpersons of the sub-committees for transportation, security, finance and awards, information and documentation, health, invitations and hospitality, ceremony preparations, accommodation and catering, and auditing, who are deputy ministers and the deputy auditor general, presented explanations and discussed the measures taken and planned activities to ensure the successful organization of the 5th National Sports Festival ceremonies according to their respective sectors.
Finally, the Vice-Senior General coordinated and supplemented the necessary points from the presentations and discussions, delivered concluding remarks, and concluded the meeting.