KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has today pledged RM20,000 to the 17th edition of the Datuk Chu Ah Nge International Junior Soccer tournament after officiating it at the Royal Selangor Club in Bukit Kiara.
Organised by the Royal Selangor Club (RSC), the tournament saw a total of 81 teams and 972 players aged between 8-years old and 16-years old competing for the prize.
Aside from local teams, the RSC grassroots tournament will feature international participating teams, clubs and football academies from Singapore, Brunei, the Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, in the under-8, under-10, under-12, under-14 and under-16 categories.
Points are given for the performances of every team and the club with the most points combined from all age groups will take the overall title.
Hannah said this is a great event for grassroots as she was happy to see the inclusion of the girls’ category.
“This is a boost for women’s football,” she said during her speech.
At the same time, Hannah also acknowledged the parents present and their support in allowing their children to pursue their dreams.
However, Hannah reminded parents to make sure that the clubs and academies to which they send their children are registered, in order for them to enjoy the tax exemption for assessment.
“The aim of such a tax exemption is to encourage parents to invest in sports for their children, which will boost the sports industry,” she said.
“To the parents present here today, I would like to thank you for investing time and money in your children, and I hope that this incentive will be beneficial to you,” she added.
In September in Kota Kinabalu, Hannah first announced that parents who send their children for sports training or engage in such activities themselves might qualify for personal tax relief starting next year.
She had said that this could be one of the ways to encourage parents to send their kids for training, which would, in turn, help with sports development in the country.
During the Budget 2024 announcement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a tax exemption for lifestyle-related purchases of sports equipment and activities, limited to RM1,000.00. This exemption also extends to expenses related to sports training. – December 2, 2023