KUALA LUMPUR — The National Sports Council (NSC) refutes recent claims of an unaccounted figure of RM1.47 million, as outlined in the Auditor-General’s Report 2022 on November 22.
In an official statement, the NSC clarified that the allocated funds have been utilised transparently for various purposes, including payments to athletes, coaches, sports science service providers, and procurement of tools and spare parts.
Additionally, grants have been directed to the National Sports Association (NSA).
“The claim is not true because there is no allocation that is unaccounted for,” read the statement.
Addressing specific points from the AG’s Report in Paragraph 5.2.1.d, the NSC emphasised that expenditures not initially under the approved scope amounted to RM1.26 million.
The NSC and National Sports Institute (NSI) justified these expenditures through extensive engagement sessions with the National Audit Department.
“The allocation of the Podium Programme was used to finance the activities for athletes in the national backup programme.
“This includes support during training sessions, competitions, tournaments, and the purchase of equipment and spare parts.
“The challenge arises from difficulties in separating expenditures based on specific allocations for different aspects of the program,” explained NSC.
The NSC highlighted the focus of the Podium Programme on preparing athletes for major sporting events such as the SEA Games, Para Asean Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian and Para Asian Games, as well as Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Grants have also been extended to NSAs managing sports not covered under the NSC programme, such as muay thai, fencing, kickboxing, snooker, and billiards, some of which have secured medals in prestigious events like the SEA Games and Asian Games.
Expressing optimism that their detailed clarification will dispel any misconceptions fueled by inaccurate news reports, the NSC urged the public to rely on accurate information and refrain from perpetuating negative perceptions. — November 30, 2023