WHILE football was not mentioned in Budget 2021 yesterday, the major winners in the "money game" were hockey, badminton, cycling, rugby and women's development programmes.
And it was electrifying news for e-Sports too as an allocation of RM15 million has been set aside for the gamers.
There were resounding cheers from officials of these sports when Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz announced a financial fillip for them.
Hockey, badminton, cycling, rugby, e-Sports and women's programmes seem to have scored well with the government which felt there is much potential in these sports for Malaysia to excel at international level and produce new talents.
Hockey and the aforementioned sports will share a RM55 million allocation from the government for development.
Tengku Zafrul said RM103 million will also be set aside to build, upgrade and maintain all sports facilities nationwide.
The finance minister added that RM20 million will be provided as a soft loan under the TEKUN sports scheme to assist sports industry operators.
For the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), being chosen by the government on Budget Day is a recognition. Presently, the MHC, who receive RM2 million to RM3 million yearly from the government, have to get financial support from others to make ends meet.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said he was not only happy with the allocation but also the special mention of hockey in Budget 2021.
"With Malaysia No 2 in Asia and No 11 in the world, hockey was recognised in the budget. I believe with more allocation coming our way, more development can be done to have a bigger pool of good players.
"Also, it was mentioned that RM103 million will be budgeted towards building, upgrading and maintaining sports facilities. While MHC do not have a new stadium in mind, some of the old venues need sprucing up.
"MHC would like to thank the Sports Minister for including hockey in the allocation as we need all the help after Covid-19 made sourcing for sponsors much harder," he said.
But RM55 million is not much to go around with for the identified sports, and Subahan had said MHC need RM10 million just for administration, playing tours, salaries for players and coaches as well as funds for international and local tournaments.
MHC started the National Hockey Development Programme in March but due to Covid-19, it was put on ice and so was the government's RM2 million grant for it.
Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said he thanked the Finance Ministry for considering the wish list of the rakyat, especially relating to sports for Budget 2021.
"I am thankful to the government for giving much emphasis to youth and sports development," he said.
Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Seri Norza Zakaria said: "We would like to thank the government for its attentiveness to the sports industry, even during these difficult times. Particularly, the RM20 million for sports facility operators shows that the government is sensitive to the difficulties and challenges brought on by the Covid19 pandemic.
"The RM103 million to upgrade our sports facilities will definitely go a long way in securing our future in sports. It will ensure that the public will continue to have access to sports facilities once the SOP allows it.
"We also welcome the RM55 million specifically targeted for the development of elite sports and women's participation in sports. The inclusion of more high performances sports in this list will definitely strengthen our grassroots development and continue our supply of talent in these sports, in addition to ensuring continuity in our athletes' training and competition programmes."