Latest news with #NationalCombatSportsChampionships
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Yeoh hopes for end to deadly border clashes ahead of Thailand Sea Games
KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh hopes that the deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia will be resolved before the Thailand Sea Games in December. Malaysia are expected to send up to 700 athletes to compete in 48 sports at the biennial games which will be held across three areas: Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla. Yeoh said the National Sports Council would await further instructions from the Home Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry. "We are worried about it, but our prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is doing his best to talk to both countries. There was also a discussion in the cabinet, and we want peace in this arena," said Yeoh after officiating the National Combat Sports Championships at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today. AFP reported that Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a third day on Saturday, as the death toll from their bloodiest fighting in years rose to 33. A long-running border dispute erupted into intense conflict involving jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis Friday. "The Sea Games is coming up in December, and we do hope this matter can be resolved amicably and quickly because, at the moment, it definitely creates a lot of uncertainty for the athletes. "Everybody is asking. But for the National Sports Council, we are constantly monitoring the situation, not just through external news sources, but also by referring to the foreign ministry for guidance. "As of now, nothing has changed, but we will have to see how things develop. Preparations are ongoing as usual." On another matter, Yeoh said the Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) needs to find additional funding for its road cycling team. Earlier this year, NSC allocated RM300,000 to the MNCF for road cycling, but only RM196,000 remains after RM104,000 was used for preparations and participation in the Asian Championships in Thailand. And MNCF has requested additional funding following feedback from professional teams Terengganu Cycling Team and Malaysia Pro Cycling. It was reported that both teams requested RM250,000 from NSC to cover training and competition expenses, including warm-up races, in preparation for the Sea Games. Yeoh said funding cannot come solely from the government, and that National Sports Associations (NSAs) need to play their part. "We can channel funds to help, but the NSAs need to work hard to secure sponsorships. Sponsors won't come if the administration of the NSAs is weak or if there are corruption issues. "When the NSAs are well-managed and focused on athlete development, as we have seen recently, sponsors will step in. But the moment there are disputes and court cases, it becomes a waste of time. I don't want NSAs to face such problems. "There are NSAs where officials don't know how to look for sponsors. If you don't know how, bring in people who can help. You cannot rely 100 per cent on government funds," said Yeoh.
Barnama
5 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Thailand-Cambodia Conflict: SEA Games Preparations Remain On Track
KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) — Malaysia will continue to monitor the developments of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia ahead of the SEA Games scheduled to be held this December, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. She said the government, through the Foreign Ministry, is closely monitoring the situation but so far, there has been no change in the country's sports contingent planning. 'We are, of course, worried about the trend but we know Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is doing his best to talk to both countries for a ceasefire. Of course, we definitely want peace in this arena. bootstrap slideshow 'And we know the SEA Games (to be hosted by Thailand) is coming up in December. We do hope that this matter can be resolved amicably and also speedily. 'For the National Sports Council (NSC), we are always following not just the news coming in, but we also have to listen to the Foreign Ministry for guidance and nothing has changed (for Malaysia),' she said after opening the 2025 National Combat Sports Championships held at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. The Combat Sports Championships meet brings together 2,000 athletes from all over the country who compete in the five main disciplines of combat sports, namely silat, wushu, karate-do, muay thai and wrestling. Hannah stressed that combat sports need to be given support equivalent to Olympic-status sports and the ministry is committed to helping in the development of the discipline. In another development, she said the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) views the proposal by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to establish a National Sports Trust Fund to reduce dependence on government funds as a positive step. 'As I stated, sports associations need to have their own initiative to find funds. They can't depend on the government.
