KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 3 June 2022 – TikTok, a leading destination for short-form mobile video, continues to make its mark within the sports community by showcasing highlights and behind-the-scenes exclusives of sports events, onboarding local athletes to the platform, and connecting users to like-minded individuals and athletes through livestream activations.

Sports has always unified the nation and since gathering in large crowds to support the national athletes or teams may be a thing of the past, the burning spirit of national pride remains the same. That is why TikTok is rallying all Malaysians online, in a safe space, to amplify their passion and interest for various sports and athletes.

In the recent 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, TikTok as the official supporter, saw Malaysians cheer on their national heroes as they watch the latest highlights and get up-close-and-personal with their favourite athletes. Throughout the season, hashtags such as #MalaysiaRoar, #MalaysiaBoleh, and #SEAGames31 gained 366.1 million, 621.2 million, and 13.5 billion views respectively.

"With the various sporting events taking place this year, we see that interest in sports are at an all time high; which is why we are in support of events such as SEA Games to bring both excitement and exclusive content to our users. We have also onboarded many athletes on TikTok to not only showcase the triumphs but also the real-life struggles and endurances that they go through in their daily lives to get to where they are today," said Darren Quek, Strategy Operations Manager, TikTok Malaysia.

"We hope that by showcasing the authentic side of sports, users will feel like they are part of the journey. Be it wins or losses, big or small, our goal is to encourage passion in sports and inspire users to embrace genuine moments in life and freely express their true self," he added.

Inspiring up-and-coming sports enthusiasts on TikTok

Home to many sports enthusiast, TikTok has been actively onboarding national athletes to build their brand, express themselves, and connect with their audiences in hopes of inspiring the new generation to strive and thrive in the industry.

Swimmer Welson Sim recently joined the platform and shared multiple videos of his training and footage from the recent SEA Games, so that his fans can experience the moment with him. Similarly, table tennis player Hoying, who is an active TikTok user started sharing her love for dancing and her sports training even before the pandemic to give users a glimpse of her real life.

TikTok is also bringing light to non-traditional sports that have been increasingly popular by onboarding them onto the platform -- Geek Fam, a local esports team that is on its way to becoming one of the prominent names in the competitive arena. From memes, to their competition highlights and fun moments, the team strives to inspire the new generation to take Malaysia's esports to greater heights.

Download or open the TikTok app now to check out more sports-related video, and to show love to our hardworking national athletes on the application. TikTok is available for free on iOS and Android via the Apple Store, Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery.