Events Tourism is essentially an event that is staged by the destination to appeal and benefit from visitors, domestic and international. The event is the visitor’s primary purpose or motive for visiting, with the destination receiving either positive or negative impacts as a consequence of hosting it (McCartney, 2011). There are no doubt many events in Malaysia that enhance the interest of visitors are mostly done using sports. Hence, there are certain positive impacts of sports development in Malaysia. Despite the many positive impacts there is as a form of tourist attraction, it is disappointing that sports development in Malaysia has not been given much attention to as there are those who say many negatives impacts that may arise.
Sport events generates diverse and heterogeneous flows of travelers that may include fans, athletes, coaches, media, team personnel, parents and family members (Gratton, Shibli & Coleman, 2004). The fact that sports events in Malaysia attract tourists is well established. Prominent examples are the Formula One Grand Prix, South East Asian Games, Thomas Cup Badminton Finals and the Commonwealth Games. Malaysia has never hosted the Olympic Games but will someday embrace the day when they do. The founder of the Olympic Games was none other than Pierre de Coubertin. He cited that, “competition produces harmony between competitors and the organizations or nations they represent’’. It was his believe that sport brings people and nation together. First of all, tourists travel away from home just to search for satisfying leisure activities. Not many might be interested in sports but rather somehow tourists are diverse and may participate in recreational sports event such as mountain climbing or white water rafting. These activities are also sports and they should be developed further despite being a recreational sport.