KUALA LUMPUR − The National Sports Council (NSC) has decided that achievements in major championships will be set as key performance indicators (KPI) to enable athletes to continue in training programmes beginning next year.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said stricter conditions were required as there are no more specific allocations to continue the Podium Programme, which ended with the conclusion of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
He said the decision is translated into measures to retain athletes, who really qualify for full time training programmes, throughout the preparation period for major sporting events next year, including the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the United Kingdom and the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
“This measure is necessary to ensure quality athletes continue to receive the best support and services to achieve success at the highest levels consistently,” he said in a statement issued by the NSC after chairing the council’s board of management meeting today.
He also announced that 288 athletes, who are in the group of potential medal winners, will be retained in their full-time training programmes.
Faizal said that, however, his ministry − through the NSC − would continue efforts to obtain additional funds and allocations so that more athletes can undergo full-time training programmes.
“But with quality being the KPI, athletes who are dropped must first prove their capabilities consistently at the highest levels of competition before being able to enjoy their previous status,” he said.
Last Saturday, Faizal provided assurances that the NSC’s high-performing athletes would be given priority in international sporting events next year and would continue all activities planned by the council, even with the government’s primary focus being more towards the country’s economic wellbeing during this current challenging period.
During the tabling of the Budget 2022 at the Dewan Rakyat last October, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz announced a specific RM10 million allocation to boost para athletes’ training programmes and to implement the Para Games League as preparations for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
An allocation of RM159 million was provided for the construction, upgrading and maintenance of sports facilities throughout the country, RM50 million for the inculcation of a healthy lifestyle, “Fit Forever” as well as National Sports Day, and RM20 million for national e-sports development, including RM5 million to create a Drone Sports Centre of Excellence. – Bernama, December 15, 2021
