GEORGE TOWN, The Penang State Sports Council (MSNPP) will present Performance Incentive Allowances (cash tokens) to athletes representing the state in national teams for international tournaments, championships or sports competitions.

State Sports, Youth and Health Committee chairman Gooi Zi Sen said that the allowance rate is RM500 per person for each international participation. Accordingly, MSNPP allocates RM60,000 annually to incentivise 120 participations among the national athletes from Penang.

“In recent years, we’ve noticed a slight decline in the relationship between the state, particularly MSNPP and our national athletes from Penang. Therefore, this initiative aims to strengthen our bond, ensuring that after their training in Kuala Lumpur, they maintain strong ties with the state sports council,” he told reporters after attending the MSNPP Iftar Event, the Penang Sports Association, Coaches, and Athletes Association at the Dewan Sri Pinang here tonight.

Gooi explained that the cash token incenti
ve is not solely based on an athlete winning the sports tournament, as applicants only need to participate in internationally recognised sports events. He suggested that the recommended sports for token allocation include the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympic Games, Southeast Asian Games, world-level sports and equivalent events for Paralympics and Deaflympics.

Meanwhile, MSNPP Director Harry Chai Heng Hua explained that considerations for token application include being open to Penang athletes representing national teams recognised by the National Sports Council, participating in sports championships recognised by International Sports Associations, the National Sports Council of Malaysia, or the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and athletes must be listed in the MSNPP database.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency