Shot In The Arm For Uniformed Bodies As KBS Approves RM1 Mln For Sports Development

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) – The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) is enhancing national sports development with an allocation of RM1 million through the National Sports Trust Fund (KWASN) to identify and nurture athletic talent among members of the nation's uniformed bodies.

Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, affirmed this commitment while chairing a Coordination Meeting for Uniformed Body Programs which was attended by senior and top-ranking officials from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Malaysian Prison Department (JPM), Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).

"Uniformed bodies have long played a role as providers of athletes who have successfully won medals for the Malaysian Contingent in various international sporting events," she said in a statement issued by KBS today.

The statement also noted that sports championed by uniformed bodies, such as archery and shooting, have seen the involvement of many world-class athletes from ATM and PDRM.

Athletes from ATM, PDRM, JBPM, and JPM are also active in several other national-level sports, including lawn bowls, sepaktakraw, cycling, hockey, and boxing.

The statement highlighted some of the outstanding achievements by athletes from uniformed bodies, such as Saritha Cham Nong (ATM), who clinched a gold medal in the women's compound team event at the Asia Archery Cup Championship in Singapore, and Erma Firyana Saroji (PDRM), who won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championship in Scotland.

In addition, Mohd Shaharil Aiman Halim (PDRM) & Mohd Afifudin Mohd Razali (ATM) secured silver medals in the team regu event at the 2024 Sepaktakraw World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Mohd Affifudin also won a gold medal in the quadrant event at the 2025 Asia Sepaktakraw Championship.

At the same time, KBS supports the Malaysian Prison Department's focus on Petanque and JBPM's focus on Table Tennis.

"This is to meet the goal of expanding talent development efforts involving uniformed personnel as the next generation of athletes and future key contributors to the nation's success in sports at the international level," the statement read.

Meanwhile, the meeting also discussed several new proposals that will be further refined, such as considering new sports including aquatics - open water, table tennis, and climbing involving uniformed bodies.

Also discussed were a study on the re-participation of uniformed bodies' contingents in the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) and a proposal for the appointment of paralympic athletes into the administration of uniformed bodies, in line with the policy of one percent employment for persons with disabilities (OKU) in public service.

-- BERNAMA