WWC ORGANISER HAS SUBMITTED APPLICATION TO PJS – HANNAH

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 7 (Bernama) -- The organiser of the combat sports programme Warzone World Championship (WWC) submitted an application to the Sports Commissioner (PJS) to organise the international tournament yesterday, according to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

Hannah said the PJS would process the application as per the usual procedure.

“We have a 30-day limit for us to process it and after that we will see whether they obtain a sanction from their National Sports Association.

“We also look at whether they meet the safety requirements. It cannot involve children under 15 years old following today’s announcement,” she told reporters at Menara Kementerian Belia dan Sukan here, today.

According to Hannah, the tournament also involves the participation of celebrities from abroad, and therefore her ministry will conduct cross-checks, including with the Home Ministry and Immigration Department.

Meanwhile, Sports Commissioner Arrifin Mohd Ghani said his office would examine all related documents and recheck the sanction status before considering the application.

In the meantime, Malaysian Muaythai Association (PMM) president Datuk Muhammad Shahnaz Azmi said that immediately after the viral incident involving children during the tournament’s press conference, his association suspended the sanction for WWC and immediately sought clarification from the organiser.

“Their explanation to us is very simple, they said — ‘We want to sell tickets’. For us, child exploitation is a big no. Whatever you want to do to sell tickets, martial arts is all about respect.

“You cannot act like WWE on TV. We don’t allow that. Even for a face-off, big events like One Championship are not as extreme as that,” he said.

Earlier, a video of the WWC press conference went viral on social media showing two children, believed to be participants of the combat sport, engaging in a staged scuffle during the introduction session, prompting widespread criticism as it was seen as inappropriate and seemingly promoting a culture of violence.

Following that, many parties urged the authorities and related agencies to conduct detailed investigations and take firm action against the tournament organiser.

The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) later confirmed that the Warzone World Championship (WWC) had not received approval from the ministry.

Meanwhile, on the RM15 million funding to be received by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Hannah said its expenditure would be jointly monitored by the Ministry of Finance and KBS.

“RM15 million is specifically for the Asian Cup qualifying process. It’s a very specific intention for that. The money will indeed be monitored,” she said, referring to the RM15 million allocated to FAM under Budget 2025.

-- BERNAMA