Team gold medallists to get RM40,000 each under revised Shakam

PUTRAJAYA: After a 24-year wait, incentives for team event medallists at the Asian Games, Asian Para Games and Commonwealth Games level have finally been increased under the National Sports Incentive Scheme (Shakam).

Under the revised scheme agreed on by the National Sports Council management board on Tuesday, team event gold medallists will now receive RM40,000 each, up from RM15,000 previously.

Silver medallists will now pocket RM20,000 each, up from RM8,000, while bronze medallists get RM10,000, increased from RM4,000.

This applies to all team event medallists, regardless of the number of athletes in the team. The last time Shakam team event incentives were increased was in 2002 while it was last revised for individual medallists in 2010.

By comparison, individual event medallists receive RM80,000 for gold, RM40,000 for silver and RM20,000 for bronze. This remains unchanged.

The Youth and Sports Ministry disclosed that the revised team incentive rates will also apply for teams that won medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as well as the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games held earlier this year.

This increases the total Shakam and coaches incentive (SGAR) payout for this year to RM5.41 million from RM4.26 million under the old rates.

Youth and Sports Minister Dr Taufiq Johari said high-performing athletes deserved the increased incentives.

"We can't just keep asking athletes to perform. As the Ministry (in charge), we have to make sure their welfare and incentives are also taken care of," said Dr Taufiq during a press conference in Putrajaya on Wednesday.

"Athletes in team events will now receive at least half of what individual event medallists receive.

"It is a form of added motivation for the athletes, not just for the seniors but also the juniors."

National sepak takraw team tekong Syahir Rosdi had earlier this month expressed his disappointment regarding the huge disparity between incentives received by individual event medallists and team event medallists under Shakam previously.

Syahir was part of the squad that ended a 36-year wait for a sepak takraw team event gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month.