Kuala lumpur: The National Sports Council (NSC) is committed to repaying the government’s trust in announcing a large allocation for sports development in Budget 2026 through the success of more national athletes at the international level. MSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin in a statement today said the allocation is significant as his party begins empowering the preparation and training programmes for national athletes, especially for those listed in the Road to Gold (RTG) Programme, Podium Programme and Talent Programme at the state level.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Jefri highlighted that next year will see national athletes competing in several major sporting events, namely the ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He noted that the NSC has also begun a long-term preparation programme for national athletes to face the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games, which will be held in Malaysia in 2027.

The NSC expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for announcing an increase in allocation for national sports development during the tabling of Budget 2026 in Dewan Rakyat on Friday. Jefri also acknowledged the allocation given to the development of para athletes through state-level development programmes, particularly for participation in the 2026 SUKMA Para Games.

Yesterday, Anwar announced that the development of national sports would continue to be intensified with a larger allocation of more than RM580 million ringgit. This budget covers the empowerment of high-performance sports, including the RTG programme, and preparations for the 2027 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia.