RM10 MILLION FOR PARA PODIUM PROGRAMME NEXT YEAR - KBS

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will allocate RM10 million next year for the Para Podium programme, which covers assistance components as well as the participation and preparation of athletes for both domestic and international competitions.

Minister Hannah Yeoh said the allocation will support para athletes competing in 36 international events and 34 domestic competitions next year under the ministry’s high-performance sports programme.

She said recent trends also indicate a significant rise in the participation of para athletes in sporting events, including the Malaysia Games (SUKMA), noting that Sarawak is a prime example of a state actively investing in para sports development.

“Based on the SUKMA 2024 records in Sarawak, a total of 1,265 para athletes from across the country competed, with the host contingent registering the highest participation at 213 athletes.

“When comparing SUKMA 2022 and SUKMA 2024, we recorded a 64 per cent increase in para athlete participation,” she said during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara today.

She was responding to a question from Senator Isaiah Jacob, who asked about allocations provided to the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) community for international and domestic sporting events in 2026.

Hannah said that since last year, the National Sports Council has assumed full responsibility for managing the preparation of para athletes, taking over the role previously held by the state Department for the Development of Persons with Disabilities and the state sports councils.

The takeover, she said, was necessary as para athletes under high-performance programmes require development and training approaches comparable to international competitive sports, while the Department for the Development of Persons with Disabilities can focus on promoting sports as an element of well-being and an active lifestyle for the PwD community.

-- BERNAMA