PETALING JAYA, Feb 20 — The government has allocated RM20 million for the development of eight sports with the potential to achieve outstanding results at the Olympic Games.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the eight sports are diving, swimming, badminton, cycling, archery, athletics, squash, and taekwondo.
She said the allocation was determined based on an assessment of the budget provided for development programmes under the National Sports Council (MSN), like the National Football Development Programme, the National Hockey Development Programme, the National Rugby Development Programme, and the National Netball Development Programme.
"The eight Olympic sports have talent and potential because, at the Olympics, many junior athletes compete. However, due to a lack of funding and exposure, they lack confidence.
"The Podium Programme alone is not sufficient, as I worry we will face a shortage of athletes. Therefore, to address this issue, we have been allocated RM20 million.
"This allocation aims to develop talent, identify athletes at all levels, send them to competitions, and nurture future successors," Yeoh said.
She was speaking to the press after officiating the Olympic Sports Development Programme Workshop today.
Simultaneously, the MSN will not intervene in determining how the first-time allocation will be distributed.
Instead, the decision will be entirely entrusted to the respective sports associations, coaching teams, and experts to determine the required amount for each sport.
"This RM20 million will not be distributed equally among the eight sports, as not all sports require the same amount of funding," Yeoh said, adding that the selected sports now have the opportunity to organise more tournaments and talent development programmes.
Additionally, the minister did not rule out the possibility of increasing the allocation in the future, especially if the current programmes yield positive results.
Meanwhile, Malaysian National Cycling Federation president, Datuk Amarjit Singh described this as a great starting point but emphasised the need for further discussions and detailed planning to address the needs of cycling, including track, road, and BMX disciplines.
"We need to assess where we can send our cyclists if the goal is to provide exposure and opportunities for young talents. This is good progress because, in the past, only athletes in the Podium Programme were sent to international competitions.
"We have long requested that our young athletes be given the same opportunities, so this is a good start, and we hope for better collaboration moving forward," he said.
Malaysia Swimming Federation secretary-general, Andy Low said the initiative is timely and can further strengthen the existing grassroots programmes run by the national body.
Former national swimming queen Nurul Huda Abdullah also welcomed the move, saying: “It is something we have been pushing for at least the last two years because we see a gap between our young athletes and top athletes.
"This will help the athletes see a clear route to progressing from development programmes to the Podium Programme.”
The Olympic Sports Development Programme Workshop is a two-day event starting today.
— Bernama
