THE Cabinet Committee for Sports may have increased the number of core sports from eight to 19 but National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong has warned that this does not mean unlimited funding.
The original core sports -- aquatics, athletics, badminton, bowling, football, gymnastics, hockey and squash -- will share the initial allocation of RM20 million while the NSC has requested for an additional RM20 million for the 11 who have been upgraded.
Zolkples also warned that associations bogged by internal strife would either be non-starters or dropped if the problems were not solved.
"The inclusion of new sports was inevitable as sports like cycling and archery have shown improvement. So has lawn bowls.
Deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the inclusion of 11 sports into the core sports programme after the Cabinet Committee meeting on Tuesday.
Archery, cycling, lawn bowls, karate, silat, shooting, sepak takraw, taekwondo, sailing, weightlifting and wushu were the new additions.
"Inclusion in the programme is not on a permanent basis. National associations must keep in mind that this will be a performance-based programme and non-performers will be dropped.
"Funding will be based on quarterly performance evaluations and the national rating system will also be taken into consideration.
"I also want to add that sports such as taekwondo where internal problems have not been solved face the risk of being dropped if the infighting doesn't stop."
The Malaysia Taekwondo Association is split into two factions, with one faction having taken the matter to court.
Zolkples added that NSC will also be selective in setting up centres of excellence across the country.
"Previously, we had as many as 800 centres but this won't be the case. We will work with the state sports councils and only districts with excellent programmes will have centres of excellence of their own."
