Vijesh Rai
THE country has been abuzz since the announcement of the 1Malaysia F1 Team (1MF1T).
As always, reaction has been equally divided and this is not limited to just the political side of the equation.
The 1MF1T has also captured the imagination of the sports fraternity and a lot of it has to do with the amount that the consortium is expected to spend yearly on the project.
Early estimates indicate an investment of just below RM500 million -- RM168 million in funding capital and RM308 million for the baseline racing budget yearly -- and the figure has the sports fraternity amazed.
It comes at a time when most national associations are totally dependent on the government for funding and the fact that several corporations are part of the 1MF1T consortium hasn't escaped their attention.
Even a fraction of the figure, said one official, would go a long way in boosting the sport he represents but is that a valid argument?
Sure, most -- if not all -- national associations in Malaysia need more funding but shouldn't that come based on success?
The successful ones -- badminton for one although their recent results suggest they could be heading for trouble -- can't complain about funding as they are well supported. And this is not limited to just government funding for the BA of Malaysia has a wide array of sponsors and if Lee Chong Wei and company can get their act together, more will come especially as 2010 is a bumper year for badminton.
Another reason why national associations can't complain is that the because Rakan Sukan is still very fresh in the mind.
That was a government initiative to get the private sector involved in sports but this was a project that came to a grinding halt simply because of a few bad apples.
The 1997 Asian financial crisis didn't help either but the question is why didn't these companies, once the economy recovered, renew their ties with the associations?
They would have if they had a reason to -- something like a successful product for them to gain mileage from -- but we all know that success stories are far too few in Malaysian sports.
That is why the FA of Malaysia has to think seriously before it decides on privatising the M-League.
While this is the way to go, can a privatised M-League be any more successful than what we have now, especially when as FAM's affiliates have refused to change despite the urgent need to do so?
For sure, RM500 million is a huge sum but the success of the Malaysian Grand Prix has proved that Formula One sells, hence the support extended by corporations to the 1MF1T.
That is something national sports associations (NSAs) can expect too if they too start delivering.
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