By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, Aug 21: A Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow (Aug 22) will deliberate on the Malaysian Games (Sukma) 2024 incentives for Sarawak athletes, says Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
According to Abdul Karim, the meeting held will discuss on Sukma incentives for Sarawakian athletes who received gold, silver, and bronze medals in team competitions, specifically whether the incentives will be divided among the team members or if each member will receive the full individual amount.
“If we follow the previous incentives, even for the groups, they (athletes) will receive the same amount as the individual,” said Abdul Karim when met with reporters after today’s awards ceremony for the squash competition at Petra Jaya.
Abdul Karim also said that the incentives for Sarawakian Sukma athletes are covered by the extra budget, as they were not included in Sarawak’s initial budget.
However, he said that if a Sarawakian team wins medals, the value should be divided among the members, or if not, the team athletes should receive a different amount compared to the incentives given to individual medallists.
“That part (sorting out incentives for athletes), I will leave it to Premier (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg) as well as Sarawak’s Financial Secretary’s Office,” he said.
The incentives for individual Sarawakian athletes at Sukma are RM15,000 for gold, RM5,000 for silver, and RM3,000 for bronze medals.
He shared that Abang Johari was the one who proposed the incentive to reward the athletes for their hard work throughout Sukma.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim also said that Sarawak is on track to being the overall champion of Sukma, having won a promising number of medals.
“Whether we hit 70 (gold medals) or not, that is immaterial. But personally, I feel that we (Sarawak) might hit the 70 (gold medals) figure,” shared Abdul Karim. — DayakDaily
