KUALA LUMPUR: With the goal of producing new talent starting from next year, four Olympic sports will get a RM1 million injection from the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said weightlifting, archery, taekwondo and shooting will receive the funds for their development programme.
She said Malaysia needs to develop more new talent in cycling and more female divers.
"We believe these sports require an injection of funds, so we requested it from the Finance Ministry. They have allocated nearly RM1 million for each sport to develop new talent and expand the talent pool.
"There is no new talent in diving especially. So we need to fill the gap to avoid relying on just a few athletes to deliver," Yeoh said after the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games post-mortem session on Thursday.
Although weightlifting, archery, taekwondo and shooting have yet to produce any Olympic medals for Malaysia, they are seen as worthwhile investment as several countries in the Asean region have won medals, including gold, in these sports.
Weightlifter Aniq Kasdan's fourth place in the men's under-61kg class at the Paris Olympic is another positive sign for Malaysia.
Yeoh said para sports are also facing problems with dwindling talent particularly in athletics and cycling.
Ziyad Zolkefli, who is 34 this year, remains as the only "strong" shot putter in the national para athletics team and new blood is needed fast.
"We understand that we are still struggling to find a successor for Ziyad (men's shot put F20).
"In para-cycling, their coach highlighted that talent development is challenging and requires extensive work since it takes seven years to prepare athletes," she said.