NPC to host bigger media sports gathering in KL next year

KOTA KINABALU: The National Press Club Malaysia (NPC) will host a larger media sports gathering in Kuala Lumpur next year, said its treasurer Sharanjit Singh.

He said the plans would include football, badminton and bowling, alongside pool and darts.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the inaugural Medcomm KK Pool and Darts Friendly Tournament last night, he said the friendly games provided an avenue for media practitioners to reconnect and build stronger relationships beyond their professional commitments.

"These friendly games have always been an excellent platform for media practitioners from Borneo and Semenanjung to come together, strengthen our ties, and build stronger relationships beyond our professional commitments," said Sharanjit, who is also the New Straits Times deputy group editor.

Medcomm KK chairman Christopher Maskilone said the tournament was an offshoot of a national media sports event first held in Kota Kinabalu before the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by another in Penang in July.

He said the event brought together media practitioners and representatives from the NPC, Youth and Sports Ministry, Sabah Tourism Board and Energy Commission of Sabah.

Sabah Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Caesar Mandela Malakun, who launched the closing ceremony, said such gatherings helped strengthen relationships between the media, government and other stakeholders outside their official duties.

He said the state government valued fair reporting and constructive criticism, adding that journalists played an important role in keeping the public informed.

Also present was NPC vice-president and Media Prima Bhd deputy group managing editor Datuk Farrah Naz Abd Karim.