Not just the money men
Netball will get a shot in the arm as NSC have decided to fund them in preparation for the Sea Games. events such as the Sea Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
NSC support extends further than just the 19 core sports it prioritises with the likes of netball, rugby and water skiing standing to benefit in a Sea Games year.
Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, the NSC director-general, said these sports, seen as potential gold medal contributors at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games next August, will receive more attention in the months to come.
“While our focus has always been on the 19 core sports but in a Sea Games year, other sports with potential of winning gold medals will receive increased funding,” he said.
“For example, we have agreed with Malaysia Rugby to launch the National Rugby Development Programme, along the lines of the one for football though on a smaller scale.
“Other sports like netball and water skiing, which rarely get any help, will also get more attention. In a way, the Sea Games will help these sports build for the future and hopefully one day be able to stand
NSC, NSI
Dr Mohd Khairi Zawi on their own feet.”
Water skiing boast a precocious talent in 12-year-old Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah, a double gold medallist at the 2015 Sea Games in Singapore.
Both the netball and rugby sevens teams reached the finals in Singapore before settling for silver medals and are aiming to go one better in Kuala Lumpur.
However, funding remains an issue.
Of the RM1.2 billion allocated by the government for sports in 2017, RM450 million is to go towards preparing national athletes for the Sea Games and Asean Para Games under the Kita Juara programme.
“Funding is always a sensitive matter and most NSAs always turn to us for money but like other government agencies in the cur- rent economic climate, we have our limitations,” said Shapawi.
“We have to go along with the government’s strategy and we cannot afford to spend much on sports that do not have hope of winning medals.
“NSC’s job is to play a supporting role in sports development and we have an obligation to assist the athletes representing the country but ultimately, the responsibility lies with the NSAs as sports belong to them.”
NSC’s investment in development bore fruit this year following the national contingent’s best-ever performances at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics and Paralympcis.
Malaysia won a record four silver and one bronze at the Olympics while the Paralympians delivered three gold and a bronze.
“The country’s success at the Olympics and Paralympics created the belief that we can excel at the highest levels,”
won two gold medals at the 2015 Sea Games
in Singapore.