KUALA LUMPUR: The 2025 Budget includes an allocation for the development of para athletes to ensure a steady pipeline of talent for future Games, according to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
However, she clarified that the funds will not be directly disbursed to the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) but will be distributed to relevant agencies such as the National Sports Council (NSC) and the National Youth and Sports Department (NYSD).
"Under the 2025 Budget, there is funding for para-athlete development, but it is not channelled to PCM. Instead, the government distributes it through NYSD and NSC," said Yeoh at the flagging-off ceremony for the Walk for Health 2km Programme and Fight Against Cancer Campaign here today.
"If PCM wants to carry out para athlete development, they must find their own funds and not rely on government funding.
"The government also does not provide funds to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) for athlete development," she added.
PCM president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin had earlier expressed hope that the ministry would consider granting PCM RM15 million.
He said the allocation, distributed among 25 national para-sports associations, would be used to develop athletes not under the NSC's programme, particularly at the grassroots level.
The Walk for Health programme, which saw the participation of 200 individuals, aimed to raise awareness about breast cancer and promote healthy living. – BERNAMA