9 December 2024
The opening ceremony of the 5th National Sports Festival 2024 was held at Wunna Theikdi Stadium here this evening, graced and addressed by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Also present were Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, wife of the Senior General, Vice Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win and wife Daw Than Than Nwe, SAC Secretary General Aung Lin Dway and wife, SAC Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo and wife, SAC members and wives, union ministers, union level officials and wives, the Nay Pyi Taw Council chair, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the Nay Pyi Taw Command commander, deputy ministers, members of Olympic Committee, presidents, vice presidents and members of Myanmar sports federations, specially invited guests, managers, coaches and athletes of sports contingents of union ministries and regions and states, Tatmadaw members, staff of ministries, students and sports enthusiasts.
First, the Senior General and wife planted a gangaw sapling in commemoration of the sports festival and sprinkled scented water of the inscription marking the tree planting activity.
At the start of the ceremony, paratroopers of the free-diving team bearing the flag of the sports festival and the region/ state flags jumped into the sports ground in honour of the ceremony and saluted the Senior General.
Vocalist Htoo Al Lin sang the song “Our Myanmar” and a lighting show was presented to the accompaniment of Myanmar orchestra. The inauguration was marked with a countdown, followed by a fireworks display and a joint performance of the song “Beautiful and lovely Myanmar” by the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture and the Basic Education Department, Ministry of Education.
The State Military Band took position in the sports ground. Later, led by the Flag Bearer troop, sports contingents from ministries and regions and states took positions in the sportground, raised the State Flag and saluted it.
Honourable athletes of the golden era of Myanmar sports conveyed the Flag of the festival into the sports stadium and raised it.
In his keynote address, the Senior General said in all seriousness, the country must implement a point “To elevate the Health and Sports sectors of all the people, improving the longevity and health of the nation” of the nine objectives adopted by the State. The objectives of the sports festival are: improvement of national standard, ensuring victories in the coming 33th SEA Games and other international games, generation of qualified athletes who will bring honour to the ho will bring honour to the country and promising new generation athletes, cementing friendship among regions and riendship among regions and states and ministries and promotion of sports activities, enhance public sports awareness and public participation in sports sports activities.
The sports festival is a proof of the national pride and strong patriotism of citizens, their love for the country, unity, nationalistic fervor and cooperation and peace and stability. The Senior General expressed thanks to officials who made efforts for holding the festival successfully and on a grand scale, sports federations, athletes, artists of literature, music, movie, and thabin worlds, and students who rendered a helping hand, saying their efforts are recognized.
Myanmar organized the National Sports Festival four times, in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2015. The country can hold the fifth festival only after a period of nearly ten years has passed. Sports promotion is an honorable activity. If it is valued as a national duty, the country will be able to produce disciplined, fit and healthy human resources for the country that will serve the national interest in unity.
Sportsmanship plays a crucial role in sports competitions. It not only fosters a spirit of perseverance, but also helps individuals build self-confidence and develop the courage to face and overcome challenges in life. Recognizing the diverse perspectives on sports, the highest ideal remains that “promoting and fostering sports is a means of protecting the nation.”
He stated that the National Sports Festival, first held in 1992, has produced numerous nationally acclaimed athletes in various sports categories. A review of Myanmar’s sports history reveals that the 1970s were a golden era for the nation’s athletic achievements.
The Myanmar national football team also achieved a notable accomplishment, winning the Fairest Team award at the 1972 Munich Olympic Football Tournament. Among the many exceptional athletes who brought glory to the country durin that golden era, Capt Tin Aung (Goalkeeper),U Aye Maung Gyi, U Than Soe@Sabthee, U Nanda Kyaw Swar, U Bhone Myint, U Myint Aung, U Thant Zin, Daw Jennifer Tin Lay, Daw Than Than, Daw Mar Mar Min, Daw Khin Mumu, Daw Nu Nu Yi, Major Myint Soe, and Daw Kyin Lwang are still alive and well. They continue to engage in sports activities to the best of their abilities, and I take great pride in their achievements.
Throughout history, our ethnic brothers and national team players have earned medals in international competitions. They have proudly raised the flag of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the top of the flagpole on the international level, fulfilling their duty. Therefore, I would like to emphasize the importance of every citizen working together to promote the sports sector. Sporting achievements that elevate the Myanmar flag in international competitions significantly enhance the country’s prestige and raise its global standing.
Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs is implementing measures to promote the education and health of young people alongside the development of the sports sector. Since programs are being implemented from mass sports to excellent sports levels to develop outstanding athletes, it is essential for the entire public, including students, youth, and people with disabilities, to participate. The country’s sports sector is currently making progress and achieving success due to the government’s focus on promoting sports. I urge everyone not to be content with this progress, but to continue striving towards the goal of “dominating the dominating the world with Myanmar sports,” orld with Myanmar sports,” achieving even greater success than before, and standing tall among the international community.
We are awarding a well-deserved increase in honors, including cash prizes, to our national athletes who have won medals in international competitions. In addition, former athletes who once brought glory to the country are also recognized with monthly stipends and honorary degrees. Therefore, I encourage the athletes participating in this major sports competition to strive for success, become national champions, and bring glory to the country.
It is possible that developing the sports sector with the sole effort of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs may face challenges. Therefore, related ministries and sports federations must collaborate, and the entire public should view this as a national responsibility, working together with interest and cooperation.
Regarding the connection between education and sports, the country’s education system is student-centered, which provides an advantage for cooperation in the sports sector. As a result, sports time has been incorporated into school curricula, with a provision making it compulsory for students to learn a specific sport. Additionally, sports have been included in the grading system, arrangements have been made for students excelling in sports to attend the Institute of Sports and Physical Education, and sports scholarships have been awarded.
The Ministry of Education is required to develop a project to encourage every student to participate in one of the sports and to draw a sports calendar to organize sports competitions for basic education levels and colleges/university levels yearly. Only then, will the process of integration of sports and education be smooth and with the emergence of new generation athletes, contributing to the sustainable sports development of Myanmar.
It can be seen that youth athletes in neighbouring countries can break not only world youth records but also world records in their student sports festivals. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures for the resurgence of Myanmar sports standards by drawing a sports calendar that includes organizing advanced sports competition in addition to student and youth sports competitions and inter-ministry sports competitions in the upcoming year.
In the current national sports festival, competitions will be held for 23 types of sports in state and region competitions, six types of sports for inter-ministry sports competitions and four types of sports for para sports competitions.
Athletes and athletic teams have prepared to participate in competitions to put their skills, strength, stamina, techniques and spirit to the test. Therefore, they are urged to compete with high standards of sports spirit and sports culture in accordance with the reputation of the sports festival.
True to the nature of sports competitions, there will be disputes when competition becomes intense. However, athletes are urged to compete honestly with high standards of sports spirit and culture. All athletes are required to compete in accordance with disciplines, rules and regulations adopted for competitions fairly and relentlessly out of perseverance, effort, endeavour and courage. Athletes are urged to promote the sports culture by comforting losers when one wins competitions, accepting the defeat and empathizing with winners when one loses competitions and offering help when other competitors are in danger.
Responsible officials are required to train competent athletes who emerge winners from respective competitions in camps so that they become Myan mar national selected athletes who can compete in the 33rd SEA games and other international sports competitions.
Participating in sports revitalizes patriotic spirit, national spirit and national characteristics and contributes to the health and fitness of the entire people. Therefore, athletes are urged to compete out of sports spirit to win competitions. In conclusion, the Senior General said he hoped that many athletes, who can live up to the image of the country, will emerge from the current competition and opened the 5th National Sports Festival.
As soon as the speech ended, fireworks commemorating the opening ceremony were set off.
Then, national selected athletes relayed the torch of the sports festival along the designated route onto the beacon on the stage in front of the grand stand. As soon as the torch was in place, another commemorating torch on the top of the southeast corner of the sports grounds was on. Then, athletes and referees vowed the sports pledges and left the sports grounds together with flag bearers.
Afterward, the Senior General and wife and attendees enjoyed group dances covering six historical eras of Myanmar performed by artists from the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture and music and performances of members of Myanmar Paralympic Sports Federation, Myanmar Motion Picture Association, Myanmar Chinlon Federation and Myanmar Comedians Association and students from Nationalities Youth Resource Development Degree College.
Then, fireworks commemorating the success of the opening ceremony of the sports festival were set off and the Senior General and wife greeted the guests by waving hands and cordially greeted former national selected athletes and artists .
The first national sports festival featuring 22 types of sports was held in Yangon from 3 to 16 May, 1992. The second national sports festival featuring 24 types of sports was held in Yangon from 25 January to 6 February, 1994. The third national sports festival featuring 29 types of sports was held in Yangon from 11 to 24 January, 1997. The third national sports festival featuring 27 types of sports was held in Nay Pyi Taw from 13 to 28 February, 2015. The fifth national sports festival has been held on a grand scale at the national level since early December in Nay Pyi Taw with the aims of enhancing the sports standards of the country, achieving success in the 33rd SEA games and other international sport competitions, nurturing potential new generation athletes and highly qualified athletes who can live up to the reputations of the country, increasing the sports activities by building friendship among regions and states and ministries and encouraging the people to participate in sports by inspiring interest in sports among them by organizing competitions for 33 types of sports including six sports types at the ministry level, competitions for 23 types of sports at the state and region level and competitions for four type of sports at the paralympic level. Paralympic sports competitions were held from 5 to 8 December and competitions at the ministry level and the state and region level are being held.
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