From Johnson Fernandez
Is there a paradigm shift in how the federal government will prioritise sports activities transferring ahead?
Youth and sports activities minister Hannah Yeoh appeared to recommend so just lately.
Yeoh was the visitor of honour through the Bandar Menjalara Residents Association’s (BMRA) twentieth anniversary dinner final Saturday, April 20.
She gained over the 400 residents by pledging RM20,000 for the RA’s actions.
“I had initially pledged RM10,000, however since that is your twentieth anniversary, I’m now rising that to RM20,000,” mentioned Hannah, who can be Segambut MP, to thundering applause.
Hannah then went on to air some of her issues as sports activities minister, which was a actuality test.
Is it value spending hundreds of thousands on workforce sports activities like soccer and hockey, that are solely succesful of bringing again a medal every from competitions, she requested.
Or wouldn’t it be extra sensible to focus on particular person sports activities the place a number of medals are at stake?
She mentioned investing in particular person athletes gives the potential for a number of medals in comparison with stumping up the assets required for workforce sports activities.
“Look at Singapore,” mentioned Hannah.
“They invested in swimming, and their swimmers alone gained about 20 medals on the final SEA Games. We ought to assume alongside these traces.”
That doesn’t imply she intends to “starve” workforce sports activities, she assured. “They are wanted for nation-building and unity as they promote teamwork.”
But the nation should additionally guarantee adequate assets are made accessible to advertise particular person sports activities like monitor and area, swimming, and martial arts, she mentioned.
“These sports activities present many occasions for medals. We don’t should kill one to assist the opposite. Both can prosper.”
For context, maybe the RM5 million Hannah introduced for the nationwide workforce after their disastrous exhibiting on the Asian Cup in Qatar might have been higher used for squash’s S. Sivasangari, and athletes Azeem Fahmi and Shereen Vallabouy.
Hannah additionally highlighted the federal government’s directive to incorporate non-public and worldwide colleges in all sports activities competitions at each stage. This will enable the nation to faucet into a broader expertise pool, recognising that many potential athletes could not attend nationwide colleges, she mentioned.
“Currently, the training system is segregated into public versus non-public. Efforts to faucet into the non-public sector should be made, together with tahfiz and worldwide and personal colleges.
“We need to faucet into this big expertise pool beforehand excluded from the district stage.”
When knowledgeable that colleges had but to get their sports activities occasions underway this yr, Hannah mentioned this was as a result of they had been nonetheless adjusting schedules post-Covid-19.
She, nevertheless, mentioned motion was mandatory, acknowledging that each journey begins with a single step.
“Schools are nonetheless regularising their calendar. We have to start out someplace. We have sufficient political will to do it now.”
Hannah pressured the overarching message of rising the expertise pool, with tax deductions was meant to encourage mother and father to put money into sports activities coaching inside the system.
Last October, the federal government proposed a particular tax aid of as much as RM1,000 for buying sports activities tools and actions, which will probably be prolonged to cowl sports activities coaching charges for oneself, a partner, or a toddler.
She mentioned the coaching payment tax exemption would cowl 103 varieties of sports activities gazetted beneath the Sports Development Act 1997 (Act 576).
“So, save all of your receipts. Keep the receipts in case you purchase sports activities tools for your self, your partner or your kids. If you be a part of a gymnasium or pay for skilled coaching to your kids, save that receipt. And then declare for a tax deduction for as much as RM1,000.”
She hoped this could encourage mass participation in sports activities from a younger age to handle the scarcity of elite athletes.
“We do not need sufficient elite athletes. We can’t solely depend on the likes of Pandalela (Rinong) and Azizulhasni (Awang).”
Johnson Fernandez was the eNews Malaysia Sports Editor from 1998-2003 and gained the celebrated Sports Journalist of the Year award in 1994.
The views expressed are these of the author and don’t essentially mirror these of eNM.
