KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — The funding for national sports associations (NSAs) will be based on their SEA Games achievements, but that does not mean those who fail in achieving their targets in the biennial games will be left out, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
She said the support and funding mechanism is being worked on and will be finalised after the National Sports Council (NSC) receives the SEA Games post-mortem reports from the NSAs.
“Those who won all the (targeted) gold medals definitely will get support, but it does not mean that if you do not get it, there will be no reassessments.
“That is why we want to see the post-mortem reports, (meet the athletes) and see the potential in that particular sport,” Yeoh told reporters after officiating the Graduan Aspire 2023 career fair at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), earlier today.
Yesterday, the minister ordered the NSAs to submit their SEA Games post-mortem reports together with their short and long-term plans to NSC to determine the support to be given to the respective sports.
Malaysia could only manage a seventh-place finish with 34 gold, 45 silver and 97 bronze, its worst performance in the history of the biennial Games since 1959, and failed to achieve the set target of 40 – 37 – 64.
Meanwhile, Yeoh requested both employers and employees to find solutions for social issues faced by the current generation of youths.
She said that based on the survey by the Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES), an agency under the ministry, bankruptcy is the top social issue among youths, followed by issues like pornography, online gambling, drugs, suicidal tendency and mental health.
Yeoh hopes the graduates choose their employers not merely based on salary, but also consider factors such as inspiration to go to work daily and positive workplace culture among others.
She also requested employers to review the special needs required by their staff, especially those with children or elderly parents to take care.
Meanwhile, Graduan Aspire chief executive officer Nabil Marie said around 50,000 to 60,000 graduates are expected to attend the 13th edition of the career fair today and tomorrow, with over 100 employers offering job opportunities.
— Bernama
