KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian sports hope for a brighter future as the government unveils the 2025 budget tomorrow.
Public attention and admiration often revolve around popular sports, leaving less prominent ones struggling for funding despite notable achievements.
Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) president Datuk Ayub Rahmat hopes to secure RM500,000 annually to help national weightlifters become Olympic champions.
Olympic debutant Aniq Kasdan finished fourth at the Paris Olympics in August, lifting 297kg in the men's 61 kg — just one kilogram short of bronze medallist Hampton Morris from the United States.
Ayub believes that a small amount of funding will not only help Aniq but prepare the other weightlifters.
"We hope for more funds for the association. We have plans, but without sponsorship and major grants, we are unable to execute them.
"We need funding to help us find quality athletes and turn them into champions," said Ayub.
"We also hope less popular sports like ours receive the government's attention. A funding of RM500,000 would be sufficient for us.
"Aniq received support after joining the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, but we need continuous backing, such as access to physiotherapists and nutritionists for our athletes.
"We have the 2026 Commonwealth Games coming up, and we aim to win five gold medals.
"We need support to achieve that goal. We also hope the government rewards associations when athletes succeed, as these associations cover coaches and administrators who work hard behind the scenes."
Meanwhile, Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia said any funding or support would greatly boost national cueists. "For the past 20 years, all our training programmes have been conducted ad hoc. We rely on alms from the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the National Sports Council (NSC)," he said.
"We are in desperate need of funding because we cannot prepare future athletes.
"Our athletes are getting older, and it's becoming harder for them to perform. Many promises were made when we won two gold medals at the 2023 Phnom Penh Sea Games, but nothing has materialised.
"So, any support or funding would be helpful for us."