National sepak takraw squad to receive RM170,000 special incentive from NSC, says Hannah

SEPANG: The national sepak takraw team will receive a special incentive amounting to RM170,000 from the National Sports Council (NSC) following their proud success at the 2024 Sepak Takraw World Cup which took place in the federal capital, recently.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said NSC has approved incentives amounting to RM60,000 each for the inter-regu and doubles teams after emerging champions while the team regu which became runners-up received RM50,000 in the competition held at Titiwangsa Stadium.

“(The successes at) the 2024 Sepak Takraw World Cup mean alot to Malaysians and the players who worked hard to win the gold,” she said.

She was speaking to reporters at KL International Airport Terminal 1 after a welcoming ceremony for the return of the para bowling squad from the 2024 World Championship in Ekurhuleni, South Africa.

On May 22, the national sepak takraw squad made history by ending Thailand’s domination after defeating them 2-0 in the finals of the inter-regu and doubles events.

The 33-year wait for the national sepak takraw squad to emerge as the champion of the team regu event continued after losing 1-2 to Thailand in the final on May 26.

In the meantime, Yeoh said MSN is still discussing the reintroduction of sepak takraw as a core sport as requested by Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association (PSM) president Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan.

Sepak takraw along with weightlifting and taekwondo were the three sports NSC dropped from the national core sports list in 2017, following poor performance and lack of improvement based on a review, including an in-depth study of the performance of the three sports since 2007.

On PSM’s request regarding the construction of a special stadium for sepak takraw, Hannah instead suggested that they along with other sports associations work with higher education institutions to use their facilities including for training purposes. – Bernama