PUTRAJAYA, March 3 — The biggest challenge former Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman faced during his 22-month tenure was to raise adequate funding for the continuity of sports activities.

He said that among his achievements during that time included obtaining a RM5 million sponsorship — the biggest sum ever received by the ministry — for the preparation of national athletes for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

"We (ministry) have never obtained such an amount before and, for the first time, the ministry will have an extra funding of RM30 million for development purposes through the introduction of sugar tax,” he told reporters at an appreciation and farewell ceremony for him at Menara KBS here today.

Also present were Secretary-General Datuk Dr Waitchalla R.R.V Suppiah, former Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Steven Sim Chee Kiong and National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail.

Ahmad Shapawi said that Syed Saddiq had, during his time as head of the ministry, shown great concern for the welfare of athletes and sports officials as well as had ensured the sports fraternity received adequate funding.

"Sports is one of the fields which contributes to the country’s social growth and which, at the same time, needs huge financial outlay.

"He (Syed Saddiq) succeeded in getting some funding to help NSC, because prior to this we had to be thrifty in our spending,” explained Ahmad Shapawi.

Syed Saddiq, 27, who is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Muar member of Parliament, made history when he became the youngest-ever federal minister after Pakatan Harapan (PH) won the 14th General Election in 2018.

However, he had to leave the ministry after just 22 months due to changes in the political landscape in the country. — Bernama