MIRI (June 16): A safe sporting environment for athletes is important in gaining the confidence of parents in sending children to participate or train in sports, said National Sports Council (MSN) board member Alan Ling.

“If sports are not safe, parents will not offer their support. This is because they will feel uneasy when their children are involved in sports,” he explained while officiating the Community Sports League (LSK) netball tournament held at Kelab Rekreasi Petroliam (KRP) Lutong over the weekend.

The three main sports in LSK are netball, sepak takraw and table tennis.

A total of 13 netball teams from Miri, Marudi and Subis took part in the tournament. There were eight teams in table tennis and 24 teams in sepak takraw teams in the competitions on Sunday.

The champions and runners-up in the three tournaments will represent Miri at the state-level competition on July 19 and 20. Also present at the opening were Miri Division youth and sports officer Roley Lagir and LSK netball tournament chief technical officer Lily Teo.

The LSK is an initiative by the federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) to encourage grassroots-level community participation in sports.

According to Ling, the initiative is aimed at fostering a sporting culture among the local community and to discover new sport talents.

He added that the government has made allocation to expand the LSK annually across the country.

Alan Ling Community Sports League safe sporting environment