THE youth and sports ministry should provide some form of financial assistance to the karate team that won six-medals, including Malaysia’s first gold at an international meet, DAP lawmaker M Kula Segaran said. 

The former Human Resource minister said the government should help the International Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Sei-bu-kan Karate-Do Association of Malaysia (IOSSKAM), as they are still in search of funds to settle their outstanding dues. 

“It is only fair that the government pay tribute to these athletes for their winning mentality, determination, and excellence. The sports ministry must immediately look into ways to help them reach greater heights.

“In fact, they should write off their expenses for the tournament in France after their amazing success,” the Ipoh Barat MP said in a statement today.

Yesterday, The Malaysian Insight reported that IOSSKAM still needs around RM23,000 to clear the remaining expenses for competing in the international open karate tournament, in Lyon, France, earlier this month.

The team had entered the competition on credit, as a local tour agency, Holara Holiday Haven Sdn Bhd, helped them to pay for their flights in advance under a “fly first, pay later” offer.

IOSSKAM spokesperson Thivashini Krish Dhev Nair said approximately RM62,000 was used by the team for the whole tournament. 

Having collected RM18,000 through donations, the public later chipped-in some RM21,000, but the team was still short of RM23,000. 

Now with the team aiming to compete in tournaments in the United States in July and in Italy this November, Kula calls on the ministry to assist the team, whom he dubbed “Karate Kids”, financially. 

“The government should look into assisting them in their dreams of competing in the US and Italy as they are still trying to raise funds for it,” he said. 

Thivashini said the team will need close to RM85,000 for both tournaments. 

Calling the team’s victory in France as an “eye-opener”, Kula said the ministry needs to acknowledge their success, given that they achieved the feat without any sponsorship from the Sports Ministry, government agencies nor private organisations.

Kula urged the sports ministry to be proactive in identifying talents in various fields of sports, not just the popular ones, claiming it would bring equitable development of sports in the country. – May 18, 2022.