Malaysia leads push for women's participation in Southeast Asian sports

Malaysia is encouraging ASEAN member states to develop strategic plans to promote gender equality in sport, especially in leadership and coaching roles. This is reported by Bernama, a partner of TV BRICS.

Malaysia's Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, highlighted that currently, women make up less than 20 per cent of certified coaches across the region, with coaching remaining largely male-dominated due to bias and a lack of female role models.

"We need a clear plan and a specific timeline for action," she said when delivering his keynote address at the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Conference on Gender Equality in Sports 2025.

To address the shortage of qualified female coaches, Hannah proposed the creation of a national registry of female coaches and the provision of targeted support to ensure their continuous development. She stressed the importance of structured and strategic action plans, anchored to specific timelines, to effect meaningful progress in this area.

Hannah further emphasised the need for each country’s national action plan to include strong media strategies to highlight women’s contributions in sports and address critical issues such as Safe Sport and mental health.

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