{
  "id": 12104082,
  "title": "Bill to amend Sports Development Act tabled for first reading",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/bill-to-amend-sports-development-act-tabled-for-first-reading",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T07:34:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/10/1548138/bill-amend-sports-development-act-tabled-first-reading"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Today, a bill was introduced for its first reading in the Malaysian Parliament's Dewan Rakyat to strengthen enforcement and investigation measures within the country's sports development sector. Youth and Sports Minister Dr Taufiq Johari presented the Sports Development (Amendment) Bill 2026, which aims to amend the Sports Development Act 1997 (Act 576) among other things. The proposed changes include provisions for managing and disposing of assets and liabilities of sports bodies whose registration has been revoked to safeguard creditor interests and stakeholder rights. The bill also seeks to empower the minister to create regulations to comply with international obligations concerning anti-doping and any matter related to safe sport. A new section 19c would prohibit sports bodies from altering their name, place of business, registered address, or correspondence address without the commissioner's prior approval, and this clause would consider non-compliance as an offence. Furthermore, the amendments would allow the minister to declare a sports body unlawful if it is used for activities prejudicial to Malaysia's security interests, public order, or morality.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: A bill was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today to enhance enforcement and investigation aspects in the country’s sports development.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}