AFTER weeks of speculation, the National Sports Council (NSC) yesterday confirmed that the Podium Programme has officially come to an end due to lack of funding.
To rub salt into the wound, NSC will also downsize the number of athletes in their full time programmes from 432 to 288 beginning next year, again due to a lack of resources.
The axing of the Podium Programme, which was introduced in 2015 to groom world class athletes, came as no real surprise as no allocation was made for it in the 2022 National Budget announcement. This is because the government is focusing more on Covid-19 recovery initiatives.
NSC, in a statement released yesterday, disclosed that the 288 athletes retained are those who have the potential to win medals at the Vietnam Sea Games, Hangzhou Asian Games and Birmingham Commonwealth Games next year.
They were selected based on their performances in high level competitions since 2019.
NSC said the reintroduction of tighter selection criteria is a necessary move after being faced with the reality that there was no allocation made for the Podium Programme.
Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu urged the dropped athletes to prove themselves if they want to regain their places in the full time programme.
"It is a necessary move to ensure that quality athletes continue to get the best support and can achieve consistent success at the highest level," said Faizal.
"The Sports Ministry, via NSC, will, however, continue to work to secure additional allocations to allow more athletes to be part of the full time programme (in the future).
"Athletes who have been dropped must first prove their abilities consistently at a high level before they are able to once again enjoy the status they had previously."
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), had after their executive council meeting on Saturday, expressed their concerns regarding the substantial cut in government funding for Malaysian sports next year.
OCM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria urged the government to reconsider the cuts as they would drastically affect Malaysian sports development.