You want our support? Play by our rules, Hannah tells sports associations

KUALA LUMPUR — “If you want government support and funding, then play by our rules.”

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has sent out a clear message to National Sports Associations (NSAs) that continue to seek government funding for their programmes.

According to Hannah, many NSAs have yet to sign up for the payment system reintroduced by the National Sports Council (NSC) to promote transparency and good governance.

Under this system, NSAs are required to open a separate bank account for government grants, with the NSC granted audit access.

“The public wants transparency on how much money these NSAs have,” Hannah said after receiving a courtesy visit from the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) today.

“We introduced a payment system where NSAs must sign up to receive their grants from the NSC. They must report their expenditures and keep this funding in a separate bank account.

“Many NSAs are reluctant because they fear audits that might reveal their actual finances,” she added, while stressing that transparency is a two-way process.

“This transparency must be mutual. NSAs need to disclose their funds. I don’t want NSAs holding millions without spending on athletes. I am answerable in Parliament, and while we know the NSC’s budget, we lack insight into NSA finances,” she added.

Meanwhile, Hannah highlighted her close collaboration with Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, who strongly advocates for good governance within NSAs.

“I have a good relationship with OCM and its president, Tan Sri Norza, a strong supporter of good governance. We aim to elevate NSA standards because I believe public awareness will lead to greater support.

“Where governance is strong, sponsors will follow,” she said, citing the RM15 million allocation for the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to illustrate her point.

“For me to approve funding, I need assurance that it will support athletes and development, not other expenses. For example, the RM15 million announced by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) for FAM is specifically for national team development, not FAM’s administrative costs.

It’s the same for other NSAs. Funding is allocated for development, not to cover their administrative operations,” Hannah said.

It is learned that only 10 of the 19 identified NSAs have signed with the NSC so far. – November 6, 2024