KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) has maintained its decision to withhold funding for the Malaysia Cup — the country’s oldest and most prestigious squash tournament — after the organisers missed the eligibility deadline for this year’s allocation.
Ace Sports and Management, which has run the tournament for the past two years, failed to raise the RM1.5 million needed to stage the event, originally scheduled for Aug 17-23.
The company confirmed that its RM1.2 million grant application, submitted via the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM), was rejected by KBS on Wednesday for the rescheduled November dates.
Following this, the tournament in November has been called off.
In a statement, KBS said SRAM had already received RM390,000 through the Sports Matching Grant (GPS) for the 2025 Malaysia Cup, which was initially set for August 18-25.
However, the event was pushed to November due to insufficient funds, making it ineligible for GPS support as it missed the Oct 31 cut-off date for this year’s funding.
KBS secretary-general Datuk Dr K. Nagulendran said the ministry remained committed to supporting sports development while upholding good governance.
He said the GPS framework and deadlines had been clearly communicated to all stakeholders to ensure fairness and transparency.
“The criteria must be applied consistently to all applicants to ensure accountability in the use of public funds,” the statement read.
“The application for the Malaysia Cup Squash, now scheduled for November, was not approved because the event fell outside the eligibility period for GPS-funded programmes in 2025.
“The deadline for event eligibility this year was Oct 31, in line with the government’s annual accounting requirements.”
The statement added that the GPS 2025 framework had been revised on the Finance Ministry’s instructions to ensure funds are channelled only to national sports bodies and NGOs registered with the Sports Commissioner’s Office or the Registrar of Youth Societies.
“While private companies may remain as strategic partners, they are no longer eligible to be direct applicants,” it said.
KBS also revealed that since GPS was introduced, RM1.3 million has been allocated to squash for the 2023-2025 period.
“KBS prioritises good governance and is committed to ensuring government funds are spent optimally and with integrity.
“KBS also encourages sports bodies and event organisers to develop funding models that are not solely dependent on government allocations. This is crucial for the growth and sustainability of sports events in Malaysia,” it added.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
