KUCHING (Aug 19): The Ministry of Youth and Sports is contemplating the introduction of matching grants to support the upgrade of sports facilities across all states, according to Minister Hannah Yeoh.
Yeoh explained that the proposed grants would follow a model similar to that used in the national football league. Each state would receive RM500,000 under this plan.
“We recognize that not all states have adequate sports facilities. We are exploring ways to assist with this issue,” Yeoh said.
She added, “The proposed model would allocate RM500,000 to each state, with the expectation that states contribute as well. This approach ensures that more states benefit, rather than just a few.”
Yeoh made this announcement during a visit to the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya, where she attended the diving events of the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma XXI).
Regarding the future of diving in Malaysia, Yeoh noted that she has asked the technical director to focus on nurturing young talent beyond Sukma. She highlighted the success of Bertrand Rhodict, who participated in Sukma in 2018 and quickly advanced to the Olympics.
“This demonstrates the potential of the talents we are seeing today. They could be strong contenders for the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympics,” Yeoh said.
She also urged state governments to increase their budgets for sports development.
