PETALING JAYA: The development of sepak takraw in the country got a massive boost after getting RM6 million in funds to upgrade existing facilities and form their own Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy.
The facilities in question are on land owned by the National Sports Institute (NSI), and have been leased to Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association to upgrade.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who allocated the additional funding for the sport’s development on Saturday.
"I would like to thank the Prime Minister as I didn’t expect the RM6 million to be approved," she said after the HKL Fun Run event yesterday.
Hannah said the sport’s additional development comes at the right time as interest in sepak takraw has been on the rise, alongside recent achievements from the national team on the world stage.
Malaysia brought back three bronze medals from this year’s World Cup in India in March, and recently took two gold and one silver at the Asian Cup here in Kuala Lumpur last month.
"We know that the sport is growing in interest among Malaysians, and it is also a traditional sport.
"They have been performing well, so the association wrote to us requesting that the Prime Minister, as Finance Minister, provide additional funds to upgrade facilities to become an academy," she said.
"It’s a good partnership because the Ministry do not intend to build academies or stadiums for all 103 sports in the country. We can’t afford it all.
"It’s a government facility and would not be a loss to upgrade it for a popular sport like sepak takraw.
"But this additional funding does come with terms, and I will be discussing it with the association soon.
"The Prime Minister wants to make this academy a reality by the end of the year," she said.
