Budget 2025: Malaysia’s Olympic hopes rest on securing top coaches, MS urges more funding

As the 2025 budget nears, Malaysia Swimming urges for larger allocations, citing the need for top-tier coaching talent to elevate athletes and restore the nation’s standing in international aquatic sports

6:58 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR — Adequate funding is essential for Malaysia to secure high-profile, grade-A coaches that could help restore its glory on the world stage and at the Olympics, especially in key aquatic disciplines such as diving and swimming.

As the Budget 2025 will be tabled next Friday, Malaysia Swimming (MS) is among the national sports associations (NSAs) seeking additional financial support to strengthen its programmes.

MS oversees five aquatic disciplines: diving, swimming, synchronised swimming, open-water swimming, and water polo.

Speaking to Scoop, MS secretary-general Andy Low emphasised the need for increased investment, particularly in hiring top-tier coaches who are crucial for elevating athletes’ performance and securing medals. 

This is especially important for diving and swimming, which are consistently seen as medal prospects for Malaysia in major events like the SEA Games and Asian Games.

“To succeed in sports today requires substantial funding. Just look at the states that invest heavily in the sports sector, like Terengganu and Sarawak, and see their achievements in the recent Malaysia Games (Sukma) compared to those that don’t focus on sports.

“That’s just at the state level. So at the national level, I hope we can also secure more funding to facilitate our efforts in elevating our athletes’ standards and their achievements,” he said.

Andy pointed out that the current funding from the National Sports Council (NSC) is insufficient, often falling short of what is required. 

“I’m not asking for a budget as large as football, but if we could receive an additional one of two million, that would be great.

“Typically, the funds we receive from the NSC aren’t substantial. For example, if we request RM6 million, we might get only half or less, and it’s not given as a lump sum.

“The same goes for when we request a coach, say Coach A, who demands a salary of around US$12,000 (RM50,636) a month based on their experience and credentials, but, the NSC can only afford a coach earning around US$6,000 a month. So, this is a limitation for us,” Andy added.

This funding shortfall, Andy said, puts Malaysia at a disadvantage compared to countries like Singapore, which invest heavily in securing top coaching talent. 

He noted that while Malaysia has excellent facilities, particularly in Bukit Jalil, the key to success lies in having the right coaches to elevate the athletes’ performance.

Megan Oesting. – ASCA pic, October 11, 2024

In February, MS appointed Megan Oesting as the new technical director for swimming and Eric Anderson as the national coach.

Last year, Bryan Nickson Lomas was named technical director for diving, while Khairul Safwan Mansur took on the role of high-performance director.

Andy remains hopeful that next week’s budget announcement will allocate a larger sum to the sports sectors, as the nation’s long-term success in international competitions hinges on sustained investment. — October 11, 2024

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