KOTA KINABALU: Tanjong Papat State Assemblyman Alex Thien Ching Qiang has called on the government to further strengthen welfare support for student-athletes representing the Sabah Schools Sports Council (MSSS) and the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM).
These include improving training conditions, upgrading sports facilities, and providing better assistance for family members accompanying athletes during competitions.
Raising the matter during the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting, Alex Thien asked what concrete measures the government is taking to enhance the welfare of student-athletes representing their districts and the state, particularly in terms of training equipment, sports facilities, and assistance for family members accompanying athletes to competitions.
He said such measures would help ease the financial burden on athletes and their families, allowing students to focus fully on training and competition.
In a written reply, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Creative Economy Development Sabah said that the state government, through the ministry, is already providing various forms of assistance to student-athletes representing Sabah in MSSS and MSSM competitions.
According to the minister, the assistance includes financial subsidies to cover transportation, accommodation and meal expenses, the provision of sports attire and equipment to support training, access to sports facilities such as sports complexes for training and preparation, as well as incentive awards for athletes who achieve outstanding results in recognition of their achievements.
With regard to assistance for parents or family members accompanying athletes, the minister explained that the ministry does receive applications from schools and athletes’ families.
However, such assistance is only approved if the athlete is eligible to be accompanied by a parent or guardian under the relevant guidelines.
Alex Thien welcomed the government’s continued support for student-athletes but expressed hope that the existing assistance could be further expanded and institutionalised.
In particular, he called for a clearer and more transparent application mechanism for parents or guardians accompanying athletes, so that families who genuinely require assistance can receive the necessary support.
He pointed out that many student-athletes are still young and require the care and supervision of their parents or guardians when travelling outside their hometowns for competitions.
This is especially true for younger athletes or those competing away from home for the first time, as families often have to bear the costs of transportation, accommodation and meals on their own, creating a considerable financial burden.
Alex Thien said that while the government should continue improving training environments and sports facilities, it should also review existing assistance policies from the perspective of athletes’ families to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent talented students from pursuing competitive sports.
He stressed that for student-athletes to achieve success at higher levels of competition, competition-related subsidies alone are not sufficient.
“What is equally important is access to long-term, systematic and high-quality training,” he said.
The government, he said, should ensure that young athletes receive professional coaching, scientifically designed training programmes, adequate training time and quality sports facilities so that they can build a strong competitive foundation from an early age, rather than relying on short-term preparations immediately before competitions.
Alex Thien added that Sabah is home to many talented young athletes with tremendous potential.
Given the right opportunities, proper development and sufficient resources, they can go on to represent not only Sabah but also Malaysia on the international stage.
He therefore urged the government to invest more in grassroots sports development, establish a comprehensive athlete development system, and create a better environment for young athletes to train and excel, instead of limiting assistance to competition periods alone.
