Kuala lumpur: The National Sports Council (NSC) is still awaiting an official decision from the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) before finalising the amount of funding to be allocated for the national cycling team’s preparations for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. NSC Director-General Jefri Ngadirin stated that the delay is due to MNCF’s upcoming Council Members’ Meeting, scheduled for this Saturday, where it will finalise its plans, list of cyclists, and funding requirements for the biennial games.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, MNCF has initially selected four cyclists each from TSG (Terengganu Cycling Team) and MPC (Malaysia Pro Cycling), and one from the national team. The federation will make the final decision and confirm the list of cyclists. Only after this confirmation will discussions be held with NSC regarding preparations for the national team’s participation in the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand.

When asked about the requested budget from MNCF for the 2025 SEA Games, Jefri indicated that the amount would be determined after the meeting. He emphasized the need for a clear plan from MNCF before funding decisions can be made, noting the difficulty in making decisions without a plan.

Previously, TSG and MPC had indicated that without an approved additional RM250,000 budget, they would not release their cyclists to represent the country at the games. However, the NSC had announced that no additional budget would be provided to MNCF, allowing only the remaining allocation of RM196,000, which is considered inadequate given current costs.