Glimmer of hope for MSBF

is light at the end of the tunnel for poverty-stricken Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) in their bid to not only prepare their players for the Philippines Sea Games later this year but also survive in what has been a difficult period for them.

The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) have stated their willingness to help out the troubled national body whose funds have dried up following the budget cuts implemented by the government from last year.

OCM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria said the umbrella body have the allocation to do so via its trust fund.

The maximum amount they can disburse is limited to RM30,000 per sport which although is not much, will go some way in helping MSBF and their players keep their heads above water.

“We will help them... no problem in that sense as long as they meet the criteria needed,” said Norza after the OCM executive board meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“We have enough allocation to help them but as we have stated before, the maximum amount we can give (to a sport) is capped at RM30,000.

“We often hold meetings to discuss this (trust fund) and have set the next meeting for Friday.”

The OCM trust fund was officially set up in 2010 with an initial sum of RM10 million invested. The fund is intended to be channelled back to the sport, which includes National Sports Associations, to aid development.

Not more than five per cent of the capital can be disbursed annually.

In addition to the budget cuts faced by MSBF, a number of national players have found themselves jobless after many snooker centres slashed their operating costs due to the current economic situation in the country.

Among those affected include former Sea Games gold medallist Moh Keen Hoo who was retrenched recently.