KUALA LUMPUR – Captains of the sports fraternity hope the government will prioritise the sports industry when they announce the revised Budget 2023 later today.
In October, the previous administration led by former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob allocated RM374 million for the sports industry, an increase from the 2022 allocation of RM289 million.
Speaking to The Vibes, Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria hopes this government will allocate a significant amount of funding for the sports industry since it is post-pandemic.
“The government needs to consider preparations for the 32nd SEA Games in May and the 19th Asian Games in September, as well as the hosting of the 34th SEA Games in Malaysia, not to mention the Olympic qualification beginning in May.
“It is important for us to receive the needed funding to continue our success internationally,” Norza said.
Norza added that he is confident that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh would have proposed a good budget for the sports industry as she has met and discussed with the national associations and athletes on the challenges they encounter.
“At the same time, we are aware that depending solely on government funding is not feasible anymore as we need the private sector to come in and support the sports industry in Malaysia.
“Instead of the usual tax exemptions, I hope the government would offer more creative incentives that will persuade a large number of private sectors to be involved in Malaysian sports,” said Norza.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Karate Federation president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad wishes the government would maintain the budget for the Olympic programme to realise the country’s dream of clinching the first gold medal.
He opined instead of having to revise the budget each year, it would be best to have an allocation every four years to make it manageable for the sports industry to plan for the four-year Olympic cycle.
“These past few years, we kept having new sports ministers one after another and it affects our budget,” said Nur Azmi.
Additionally, he also hopes that the government would take into account the earnings of athletes as well as sports administrators.
“I hope they will consider increasing the athlete allowance and salary of sports administrators so it is in line with the rising cost of living.
“We cannot expect them to be earning the same especially when most of the training and administrative affairs are being conducted in Kuala Lumpur.”
Echoing Nur Azmi on Malaysia’s Olympic dream, Malaysian National Cycling Federation vice-president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill added that the budget for sports should be maintained so that high-performance sports and its development programmes such as cycling, can be carried out as usual without any constraints due to insufficient budget.
“High-performance sports require a large budget, and government support, since the beginning, has ensured that athletes get maximum exposure.
“At the same time, I hope the government will allocate a budget to build a roof around the cycling track at Velodrome Rakyat in Ipoh so that the track can be protected from weather elements, allowing the development programme to be fully implemented,” said Amarjit.
While funding has always been one of the major factors in developing a sport, Malaysian Hockey Confederation Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said there should some incentives for corporate bodies to entice them to fund sports programmes.
“It all boils down to funding. I have said this before, any sports association requires funding to do well.
“Since we cannot solely rely on government funding, the government should allow private sectors to enjoy certain tax privileges.
“From the government side, my only wish is that at least maintain the same as last year,” he said. – The Vibes, February 24, 2023
