KUALA LUMPUR – The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has pledged to educate the National Sports Associations (NSAs) on providing detailed financial records if they wish to seek government funding for their programmes.
The governing body’s response came after Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh recently revealed that some NSAs remain reluctant to submit their financial reports, fearing audits by the National Sports Council (NSC).
Scoop reported yesterday that nine NSAs have yet to agree to create a separate account for government funding, which will be channeled by the NSC.
OCM secretary-general Datuk Nazifuddin Najib said that the NSAs will have no choice but to forgo funding based on the recent Budget 2025 allocation if they do not adhere to the government’s requirements.
“There is a reason why the minister and the government are doing this; they want all the NSAs to be transparent with their expenditures based on the funding provided.
“Hence, the NSAs should also play their role by ensuring they follow the procedures set by the government if they wish to obtain the funding they seek.
“From OCM’s side, we will move to educate the NSAs on the government’s procedures so that they can secure funds in line with the recent sports budget allocation,” Nazifuddin said during the 211th OCM Executive Council meeting at Bukit Kiara today.
Meanwhile, Nazifuddin noted that some NSAs might be facing internal issues that could be hindering their process in providing financial reports to the government.
“I can’t speak on behalf of all NSAs, but they might have internal issues slowing down their financial reporting process.
“Of course, the government wants all the NSAs to be transparent, but we don’t know the challenges they could be facing. Perhaps there are delays from their board members or the treasurer’s side… we don’t know.
“We have to look at this issue from all perspectives. I hope some of the NSAs can resolve their issues as soon as possible and align with the government’s requirements, as they remain accountable for the funds they have received over the years,” Nazifuddin added.
In June, 19 NSAs signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the NSC as part of an initiative to empower associations through a more efficient funding system.
Under this MoA, funds would be disbursed every four months to cover athlete and coach management, performance monitoring, development programmes, and support services.
However, five months later, only 10 associations have followed through, while nine continue to delay.
At the end of this month, most NSAs will meet with the NSC in a Working Committee Meeting to present their plans and funding requirements for 2025. – November 9, 2024