KUALA LUMPUR – Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sir Norza Zakaria welcomed the government’s allocation of RM399 million for the sports industry in the revised Budget 2023.
Speaking to The Vibes, Norza said that OCM is happy to see that government allocate a significant amount of RM324 million for training programmes and sports facilities.
“We are very happy because this can be considered a good budget for the sports industry. However, we still need to see the breakdown and the details of the allocations.
“It was great to see new elements such as the unity programmes and athletes’ welfare were given importance in this budget. For this I would like to thank the prime minister,” he said.
During the tabling of the budget, Finance Minister Anwar also said that the government will be providing matching funds of RM50 million to encourage the private sector’s sponsorship of sports programmes.
“This is a big step for the sports industry as this initiative will attract the private sector to get involved in terms of sponsorships.
“The private sector now has to reciprocate the efforts of the government. If all goes well, then we can gain another RM50 million from the matching funds given out to the private sector,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Athletes’ Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) chairman Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed lauded the RM5 million allocated for the foundation by the government, answering their hopes for a “solid budget” this year.
“This is great news for Yakeb because RM5 million is a good amount for the year.
“This is the first time we have received such an amount and it feels good that it was mentioned during the tabling of the budget,” he told The Vibes.
Noorul Ariffin also said the concerns about ex-athletes' welfare are evident from the government, especially from Youth and Sports Ministry.
“This is a good start for Yakeb and we hope that this type of monetary assistance would not just stop here,” he said.
At the same time, Khalilul Rahman Mokhtaruddin who organisers football events at the grassroots level said the government’s acknowledgement of grassroots sporting programmes is a positive step.
Khalilul, who also founded Padangbolasepak.com told The Vibes that the 10% tax exemption from the aggregate income of individuals or companies that contribute to non-profit organisations that implement grassroots sports development programmes is a step in the right direction.
“We just need the ministry and relevant agencies to share the right steps on how the paperwork process needs to be done, otherwise many out there will not know how it works.
“When more people understand the process, it benefits the grassroots greatly and hopefully also sends a message to the government that the 10% tabled could be increased over time,” he said. – The Vibes, February 25, 2023
