LUNDU: The Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) has become the first institution in Malaysia to offer courses and training in electronic sports (e-sports).
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Patinggi Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said e-sports should expand beyond mere competition, stating that it has potential in content creation.
“I hope that e-sports is not just about participating in competitions but also about developing e-sports content itself. We must aim to produce many young graduates who can lead the way in selling Malaysian e-sports content globally.
“My spirit is still with e-sports despite my age. I hope the Human Resource ministry will join me in supporting the students or e-sports participants at CENTEXS to compete at the global level,” he said.
He said this when launching CENTEXS Commercial TVET HRD Corp Initiative and its e-Sports Training Hub and Certification Academy at CENTEXS Lundu here today (Oct 5).
Ahmad Zahid cited the success of the Selangor ‘Red Giants’ e-sports team, which made the nation proud by winning the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup 2024 in Riyadh, securing a prize of RM4.7 million.
He also called on CENTEXS and CENTEXS Commercial to prove their capability in producing world-class e-sports players and pioneers, and be able to organise world-class events such as the FIFA World Cup e-sports.
“I see that the study modules are complete, and the infrastructure is steadily improving. At the same time, they should position Malaysia as one of the leading e-sports tourism destinations in the region.
“I hope that the launch of the first e-Sports Training Hub and Certification Academy in Sarawak will realise the goal of developing local expertise that can lead the e-sports field in all aspects,” he added.
Also present were Minister of Human Resources Steven Sim Chee Keong and his political secretary Dr Kelvin Yii, Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang, CENTEXS Chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani and CEO Datuk Syeed Mohd Hussein Wan Abd Rahman.
