The National Sports Council of Malaysia (Majlis Sukan Negara, MSN) is the federal statutory body that develops and coordinates sport in Malaysia. It was established under the National Sports Council of Malaysia Act 1971 (amended 1979) and officially launched on 21 February 1972. It operates under the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), runs the national athlete-development programmes, and is headquartered at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
- MSN is a government agency and statutory body under the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) that governs sporting activities in Malaysia.
- It was established under the National Sports Council of Malaysia Act 1971 (amended in 1979) and officially launched on 21 February 1972 by the second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
- MSN was restructured in 1981, after which it significantly expanded its programmes in line with the National Sports Policy's aim to drive sports development and elite achievement.
- Its headquarters is the Kompleks Sukan Negara (National Sports Complex), Bukit Jalil, 57000 Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur; general enquiries: 03-89929600.
- MSN runs athlete and para-athlete training programmes and sport-specific schemes in football (FAM-MSN Project), hockey, netball, rugby and cycling, plus a Women in Sports programme, and operates training complexes in several states.
Who this applies to: Athletes, sports officials, journalists, students, and anyone researching how elite and community sport is governed and developed in Malaysia.
On this page
When a Malaysian sprinter lines up at the Olympics or a young footballer is scouted into a national squad, there is a single government body standing behind the training, the coaching and the facilities that got them there: the National Sports Council of Malaysia, known in Malay as Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN). It is the statutory agency that turns national sports policy into actual athletes.
What exactly is MSN?
MSN is a government agency and statutory body that governs sporting activities in Malaysia. It sits under the Ministry of Youth and Sports — the Kementerian Belia dan Sukan, or KBS — which means KBS sets the policy while MSN is the agency that develops and coordinates sport on the ground.
Its headquarters is the Kompleks Sukan Negara (National Sports Complex) in Bukit Jalil, 57000 Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, and its general enquiries line is 03-89929600. Beyond Bukit Jalil, MSN operates additional training complexes across several states.
When and how was it created?
MSN was established under the National Sports Council of Malaysia Act 1971, which was later amended in 1979. The Council was officially launched on 21 February 1972 by Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
It was then restructured in 1981, after which it significantly expanded its programmes and activities — in line with the National Sports Policy’s aim to fully drive the encouragement, development and elite-level achievement of sport.
Who leads MSN?
| Role | Holder |
|---|---|
| Director General | Ahmad Shapawi Ismail |
| Minister of Youth and Sports | Hannah Yeoh |
| Deputy Minister | Adam Adli |
The Director General runs the agency day to day, while the parent minister and deputy sit at the KBS level above it. (The current office-holders should be re-confirmed against the official site before being treated as up to date — see the verification note.)
What programmes does MSN actually run?
MSN’s real work is a pipeline of athlete- and sport-development programmes, including:
- the Athletes Training Programme and the Para Athletes Training Programme;
- the National Football Development Programme (the FAM–MSN Project);
- national development programmes for hockey, netball and rugby;
- Junior Cycling Malaysia; and
- the Women in Sports programme.
Together these run from grassroots talent identification up to the preparation of national athletes for major competition.
What’s next
MSN is one part of a wider system that also includes the Ministry of Youth and Sports above it, the National Sports Institute (ISN), the national sports associations, and the state sports councils (Majlis Sukan Negeri). For the confirmed shape of that division of labour — and the exact statutory functions of the Act — see the verification notes attached to this entry, which flag what still needs checking against primary sources.
Is MSN the same as the Ministry of Youth and Sports?
No. The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) is the parent government ministry; MSN is a statutory agency under it, established by its own Act of Parliament in 1971 to develop and coordinate sport.
When was MSN founded?
It was established under the National Sports Council of Malaysia Act 1971 (amended in 1979) and officially launched on 21 February 1972 by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
Where is MSN based?
At the National Sports Complex (Kompleks Sukan Negara), Bukit Jalil, 57000 Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. It also operates training complexes in several other states.
The following are deliberately unstated or described only qualitatively until confirmed by a subject-matter expert:
- Exact Act number/citation of the National Sports Council of Malaysia Act 1971 (widely cited as 'Act 29') and the 1979 amendment — confirm against primary AGC statute text before stating a section or reprint number.
- Verbatim official Vision (Visi) and Mission (Misi) text — nsc.gov.my publishes them only as images; OCR or a direct read is needed before quoting.
- Institut Sukan Negara (ISN) founding year and the precise MSN-vs-ISN division of labour (programme management by MSN vs performance/sports-science by ISN) — not yet confirmed against a primary source.
- Current Director General as of 2026 — Wikipedia lists Ahmad Shapawi Ismail; confirm he still holds the post via nsc.gov.my before treating as current.
- Number and names of the state sports councils (Majlis Sukan Negeri) coordinated under the Act — not yet confirmed from a primary list.
- Full verbatim statutory list of the Council's functions from the Act itself, as opposed to paraphrased functions on secondary pages.
Sources
- National Sports Council of Malaysia — Wikipedia
- Sejarah — Majlis Sukan Negara Malaysia — Majlis Sukan Negara Malaysia (nsc.gov.my)
- Majlis Sukan Negara Malaysia — Official Website — Majlis Sukan Negara Malaysia (nsc.gov.my)
Change history
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.00 | 14 Aug 2026 | Approved and published. | — |