Not all RTG athletes' requests will be entertained - Hannah

PUTRAJAYA - Not all athletes’ requests under the Road To Gold (RTG) programme will be considered and it depends on whether they are justified, according to Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh.

She said the RTG, which provides support to the athletes in their mission to win gold at the Olympic Games, will fully study the requests before a decision is made.

"This RTG is to top up facilities for athletes. Not all athletes' requests will be considered, for example, if an athlete asks for a bigger house, you don’t think we will buy a house for him, do you?

"The athlete's request must be reasonable in helping their performance and it will be decided together with the RTG committee," she said.

Hannah said this at a press conference to announce the Sports Matching Grants (GPS) at Menara Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS), here today.

She was asked to comment on the request of the country's professional badminton singles player, Lee Zii Jia, who wanted a training partner and training abroad to ensure improved performance in a meeting with Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, Malaysia's Chef de Mission (CDM) to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, yesterday.

"This RTG is a top-up service so you can't claim basic things. It is the athlete's own duty if they work privately as they already know the cost that needs to be borne," she said.

Earlier, at the event, the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) announced the conditions for applying for the matching grant funds to companies, sports associations, government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and registered cooperatives that organise sports programmes and activities in the country.

The matching grants can be applied for online through the website https://www.kbs.gov.my/gps.html from today until July 31 with priority given to the national sports associations (NSA) for organising events.

The strict conditions of the allocation of RM40 million of the grant require that the applicant to be transparent with the organisation of events that could benefit the country's athletes in an effort to improve their performance or ranking.

According to Hannah, the matching grant is 50 per cent of the programme cost or a maximum of one million ringgit, with reimbursement claims and any organisation having to be related to 103 types of sports as stipulated in the Sports Development Act 1997 (Act 576).

At the same time, two secretariats led by the National Youth and Sports Department (JBSN) and the National Sports Council (MSN) have been set up for check and balance to avoid any leakage or favouritism in the disbursment of the grants. - BERNAMA