Podium Programme to continue, number of athletes to be reduced - Ahmad Faizal

BANGI: The Podium Programme, which is under the purview of the National Sports Council (NSC), will be continued next year but the number of athletes involved will be reduced, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

He said the number of athletes had to be reduced as the Youth and Sports Ministry had received a smaller allocation compared to previous years for the implementation of full-time training programmes for the athletes.

"With what we have, we will try to work within our means... we will not be able to provide training to over 400 athletes who are housed at the NSC.

"The total (number of athletes) has to be reduced and we must pick those who really have the potential to win championships and return home with medals," he told the media after handing over the Anugerah Remaja Perdana Rakan Muda (ARPRM) 2021 awards here today.

He said that although certain athletes would not be training under the NSC anymore, the ministry would continue to monitor their condition from time to time and ensure their training would continue under their respective associations.

"From time to time, we will hold centralised training programmes for like a month, but not for the long-term," he said.

He added that NSC director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail had already started negotiations with the athletes who will be "released".

Ahmad Faizal said the ministry would continue to think of ways to source for funds needed to ensure no athlete is left out from getting high-quality training.

"We will work with private partners. I hope these private firms will come forward and join us. The Ministry and NSC always welcome any sponsorships from the private sector for the benefit of our athletes," he said, before adding that another RM40 million was needed to continue with the training under the Podium Programme.

The Podium Programme was introduced in 2015 with the main aim being to win the nation's first gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, secure a top-10 medal finish at the 2018 Indonesia Asian Games and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as well as have 10 athletes ranked among the top six in the world.

The Malaysian contingent returned from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with one silver and one bronze; finished 12th at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games; and 14th at the Indonesia Asiad.

Yesterday, the media reported that achievements in major championships would be the key performance indicators (KPI) set by the NSC to enable athletes to continue in training programmes starting next year.

Ahmad Faizal had also said in the statement that 288 athletes, who are in the group of potential medal winners, would be retained in their full-time training programmes.

In another development, he said that in the meeting between the ministry and over 40 youth associations on Tuesday, both parties had agreed by consensus to set a new date for the implementation of the Youth Societies and Youth Development Act (Amendment) 2019 (Act 668) on lowering the age limit of youths to 30 years old.

"In that meeting, I listened to their views. Generally, most of the associations urged for the implementation of Act 668 to be postponed.

"So, due to time constraints for us to continue to have engagement, I have decided to postpone its implementation," he said.

He said the ministry would also hold further discussions with youth associations to set a new date for the implementation of the act to ensure it is a win-win situation for all parties.

On Nov 17, Ahmad Faizal announced in Parliament that the law on the age limit to hold positions in youth associations from 40 to 30 years old will be implemented on Jan 1, 2022.

-- BERNAMA