KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will ensure that sports development allocations announced under Budget 2027 are distributed fairly and equitably among all national sports associations.
Its minister, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, said the allocation would take into account the potential of each sport, particularly those capable of winning medals at international competitions, as well as preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games (LA28).
“We will ensure that the allocations given to the sports associations are appropriate and meet expectations. This means we will assess each sport’s prospects in terms of medal potential, and Olympic sports will certainly be given priority,” he said after appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme on Thursday.
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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced during the tabling of Budget 2027 that RM460 million had been allocated for national sports development, covering efforts to strengthen high-performance sports programmes and the Road to Gold (RTG) initiative.
The allocation also covers development programmes for para-athletes and deaf athletes, as well as the maintenance of sports facilities nationwide.
In a separate development, Mohammed Taufiq said the ministry wanted rural communities to benefit from the RM30 million Sports Matching Grant announced under Budget 2027.
He said the allocation must be distributed comprehensively to ensure that sports development was not concentrated solely in urban areas, but also provided opportunities for emerging talent at grassroots level to be identified and nurtured.