KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry has strongly recommended that applicants seeking Sports Matching Grants ensure they have comprehensive and well-documented submissions to ease the grant approval process.
Minister Hannah Yeoh said that her ministry has received more than 900 grant applications from various parties looking to organise sports events and programmes throughout the country.
“We have received a large number of grant applications, and to date, we have approved grants for more than 100 sports programmes across the nation.
“As for those who have already received grants, we expect them to utilise the funds by this year, as they won’t be allowed to carry forward the grants to the next year.
“They must provide receipts that match the amount they’ve received. If not, there’s a high likelihood that we will blacklist them from receiving further grants,” said Yeoh during the Jalur Gemilang flag handover ceremony for the Esports contingent at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Simultaneously, the minister also chaired a post-mortem for the recently concluded Hangzhou Asian Games, receiving invaluable insights from coaches representing the various sporting associations to refine preparations for next year’s Paris Olympics.
The post-mortem was also attended by the contingent’s chef de mission, Datuk Chong Kim Fatt, and representatives from all sports, the NSC, and National Sports Institute (NSI).
The Nippon Sports Science University (NSSU) of Japan, which has forged a collaboration with the NSC, was also present.
“There are several structural reforms that need to be implemented in the performance of the national contingent ahead of the games.
“Among the feedback we have received included commencing training programmes earlier, transitioning to full-time training from part-time, upgrading facilities, and increased coach salaries and allowances.
“After this, we will meet with the NSSU to hear their perspectives. Today, their representatives listened and asked questions. After this, we will sit down with them to examine the specifics,” Yeoh added.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games in China, held from September 23 to October 8, Malaysia won six gold medals, eight silvers, and 18 bronzes, finishing 14th in the medal standings. – November 9, 2023
