KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) is enhancing national sports development with a RM1 million allocation via the National Sports Trust Fund (KWASN) to identify and nurture athletic talent among members of the nation's uniformed bodies.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh affirmed this commitment while chairing a Coordination Meeting for Uniformed Body Programmes today, which was attended by senior and top-ranking officials from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), the Malaysian Prison Department (JPM), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).
"Uniformed bodies have long played a role as providers of athletes who have successfully won medals for the Malaysian Contingent in various international sporting events," she said in a statement issued by KBS.
Yeoh also noted that sports championed by uniformed bodies, including archery and shooting, have seen the involvement of many world-class athletes from the MAF and PDRM.
Athletes from the MAF, PDRM, JBPM, and JPM are also active in several other national-level sports, including lawn bowls, sepak takraw, cycling, hockey, and boxing.
She highlighted some of the outstanding achievements by athletes from uniformed bodies, including Saritha Cham Nong (MAF), who clinched a gold medal in the women's compound team event at the Asia Archery Cup Championship in Singapore, and Erma Firyana Saroji (PDRM), who won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championship in Scotland.
In addition, Mohd Shaharil Aiman Halim (PDRM) and Mohd Afifudin Mohd Razali (MAF) secured silver medals in the team regu event at the 2024 Sepak Takraw World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Affifudin also won a gold medal in the quadrant event at the 2025 Asia Sepak Takraw Championship.
At the same time, KBS supports the Malaysian Prison Department's focus on Petanque and JBPM's focus on Table Tennis.
"This is to meet the goal of expanding talent development efforts involving uniformed personnel as the next generation of athletes and future key contributors to the nation's success in sports at the international level," it said.
Meanwhile, the meeting also discussed several new proposals that will be further refined, such as considering new sports including aquatics — open water, table tennis, and climbing involving uniformed bodies.
Also discussed were a study on the re-participation of uniformed bodies' contingents in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and a proposal for the appointment of paralympic athletes into the administration of uniformed bodies, in line with the policy of one per cent employment for disabled persons in public service.
— Bernama
