Hannah Yeoh: Ministry mulling matching grants for states to upgrade sports facilities

KUCHING (Aug 19): The Ministry of Youth and Sports is considering providing matching grants to all states for the upgrading of sports facilities, said Hannah Yeoh.

She said the matching grant provision would follow the model used in the national football league, where each state is given RM500,000.

“We acknowledge that not all states have good sports facilities and we are looking into how we can assist in this matter.

“Therefore, I want to use a model similar to the football league, where each state is given RM500,000, and it is up to the state to play their part.

“This is fair, as otherwise only a few states would benefit,” she told reporters during a visit to the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya here today to witness 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma XXI) diving events.

On the development of diving in the country, Yeoh said she had asked the technical director to look into bringing in young prospects, not just for Sukma

“If we look at Bertrand Rhodict (Lises), he participated in Sukma in 2018, and within a short period, he qualified for the Olympics.

“This means the talents we are seeing today have great potential for the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympics,” she said.

She called on state governments to consider increasing their allocations for sports development when planning their budgets.