Aside from Program Jaringan Prihatin for B40 and eBelia initiative, the government has allocated a certain portion of the Belanjawan 2021 towards sports development. Interesting enough, esports once again made it to the national budget for the third consecutive times.
Back in 2018, the government at that time has allocated RM 10 million for the segment under Belanjawan 2019. A year later, the budget for esports was then increased to RM 20 million.
According to the announcement by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz, the government has provided RM 15 million for esports development this time around. The allocation is part of RM 55 million budget for high-performance sports such as hockey, rugby, badminton, and cycling, alongside the development of female athletes.
Since the Belanjawan’s announcement didn’t provide in-depth details regarding the allocation, it is not known how local esports scene will be able to tap into the RM 15 million budget. However, we do know that it is under the purview of the Ministry of Youth and Sports since it was noted in the post-Belanjawan statement by Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
