KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry is looking to reinstate sepak takraw as a core sport following their achievement at the recently concluded 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.
However, its minister Hannah Yeoh said that before making any decisions, the ministry would need to conduct a few more town hall sessions with the sports association, Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM) to gather further information.
Yeoh said one of the main factors preventing the reinstatement of sepak takraw as a core sport is budget constraints.
“We will treat this matter as a priority, but making sepak takraw a core sport depends not only on medals but also on funding.
“Following the national sepak takraw squad’s achievements at the SEA Games, we must have a discussion and conduct a post-mortem because it is a popular sport that has the potential to win us medals.
“We also need to support the grassroots development,” she said when met at the launch of the Sepak Takraw League 2022/2023 jersey here, today.
Sepak takraw was one of the sports dropped by the National Sports Council (NSC) from the list of core sports in 2017 due to declining performances.
At the recently concluded 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, the national sepak takraw team ended their campaign with four silver medals in the team regu, inter-regu, doubles and chinlone (same stroke) and two bronze medals in chinlone (non-repetition and linking).
Yeoh added that of the allocated budget, 60% is utilised towards administration, while the remaining is used for development, which needs to be increased.
The Segambut MP added that she planned to hold more town halls to obtain more perspectives from sports practitioners, which would help the ministry make informed decisions. – The Vibes, May 18, 2023
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