KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has singled out the setting up of Road To Gold (RTG) committee in search for the country's Olympic gold medal and the classification of combat sports as a school activity as two of the many achievements accomplished in her first year at the ministry.
In a Facebook post she uploaded today, Hannah shared that other milestones — such as the expanded tax relief to include sports training fees from 2024, the development of the Safe Sports Code to ensure the rights and welfare of the sports community, increasing the number of sports that qualify for tax incentives, reducing bureaucracy in approving the organising of events, and the setting up for the Sports Dispute Committee — would strengthen the national sports ecosystem.
"Today is exactly a year since I was sworn in as Minister of Youth and Sports. Worked as though every day was my last day in Putrajaya. 365 days of sprinting, working on reforms that will change the ecosystem for our stakeholders.
"It takes a solid team of civil servants in KBS (Youth and Sports Ministry), hungry enough for the same positive change to make things happen. A big thank you to Adam Adli (deputy minister), my KSU Dr Nagu (K. Nagulendran) and most of all my officers in my office for carrying the load and running with the vision," Hannah posted.
She also listed the ministry's other successes, including Employment Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) contributions for national athletes beginning January, ensuring national athletes were accompanied by officials to international competitions, the creation of the first women's health clinic for athletes, the matching RM40 million Sports grant, helping the national squads to obtain central training facilities under the 1 Sport 1 Facility initiative and donating RM1 from every ticket sold to the Malayan Tiger conservation effort, with the cooperation of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The ministry also took steps in opening up the Bukit Jalil National Stadium facilities to schools for their sports day for free, free basic swimming classes for B40 children and the expansion of the Rahmah Sports Sale, she said, adding that an Open Day was also held to allow the public to deal with the ministry easily.
She also shared that the ministry was proud to do its part in empowering MADANI youth through the rejuvenation of the Rakan Muda programme and to reduce the age limit for youth from 40 to 30 from Jan 1, 2026.
"I hope Malaysians will not be quick to give up on this Unity Government. Thank you PM Anwar Ibrahim and my party's secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead and to serve. #MADANI," Hannah said.- BERNAMA