KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysia Paralympic Council (MPC) has expressed its desire for increased government funding following Budget 2024 that was announced on Friday.
The council’s response comes after the government announced an allocation of RM12 million to the National Sports Council for training and development programmes aimed at supporting Malaysia’s para-athletes in international sporting events.
MPC president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin said that the council needs more funding to implement development programmes for the betterment of para-athletes in the future.
“We appreciate the government’s allocation, but we hope to see increased funding for sports development, particularly for our talent development and grassroots programmes.
“These initiatives are crucial for our 25 affiliated associations to identify new athletes at the school level.
“While RM12 million is beneficial for preparing athletes for the upcoming Asian Games, we are concerned that without additional allocations, we may struggle to discover new talents for future competitions.
“I hope to see more government support in the future, which would boost our athletes’ performance in the competitions they participate in,” said Megat at the Paralympic Excellence Centre in Kg Pandan today.
Megat emphasised the anticipated allocation required by the council and expressed hope for the government to address the ongoing issue.
“Our talent pool is substantial, and we require approximately RM50 million annually to conduct our programmes, that’s my wish list if possible. But it is also good if I can get RM15 million.
“Malaysia has a vast number of para-talents with the potential to win more medals for the country in the future.
“This increased funding will undoubtedly help us in training these athletes effectively and incorporating them into our programmes, where we can nurture and transform them into champions,” added Megat.
Budget 2024 allocation for the Paralympic Council represents a significant increase of 41.6% compared to last year’s budget of RM5 million.
Malaysia has set a cumulative target of 35 medals for the Asian Para Games scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, from October 22-28, without specifying any colour.
The Malaysian contingent will consist of 113 athletes and 63 officials participating in 104 out of the 564 sports events.
A total of 54 athletes will be competing for the first time at the Games. – October 15, 2023