It is a campaign that finally recognises the efforts of the industry players.

Now, they hope that the Youth and Sports Ministry’s ‘Sports Industry’ programme will help ‘influence’ the 2013 Budget that will be tabled tomorrow.

Many believe the Youth and Sports Ministry will enjoy a fair share of the allocation as it is widely known that the government has and is still embarking on several activities to woo the younger generation ahead of the up-coming General Elections.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek has played a huge role in ensuring the success of the Sports Industry campaign – through forums and partnerships between government agencies and private entities.

Sports is, after all, a lucrative million Ringgit business that provides opportunities to both locals and foreigners.

Yet, some companies continue to shy away from the local sporting scene for reasons best known to them. Local football teams continue to struggle to pay their players' wages while associations claim it is difficult to obtain sponsorship. Those within the industry believe the best way to lure the financiers is by additional incentives.

While Ahmad Shabery admitted he is unsure if rebates will be introduced in this budget, he said that money will certainly be channelled to the national athletes for next year’s SEA Games and for Perlis to host the 2014 Malaysia Games (Sukma).

“We must perform better at the SEA Games and aid Perlis host the Sukma as this will help spur the economy at the northern region,” said Ahmad Shabery.

“It’s a matter of time where tax incentives and rebates be handed out to private companies and even parents who encourage their children to pick up sports through their enrolment in the various academies in the country.

“If it is not addressed this year, it will be in the next Budget,” he added.

Asian rally driver Karamjit Singh echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s so difficult to find sponsors these days,” Karamjit said.

“Motorsports is not cheap and we need the support of big corporations. It would be great if the government can help out by offering better incentives to companies that sponsor athletes or sports.”

Event organisers believed there should be a ‘pull factor’ to encourage local and foreign establishments to organise events in the country.

“It’s (sports) a big business and there’s so much to offer. I truly hope for a sports friendly budget. We should be looking at tax relieves or incentives from imported goods, events and corporate sponsorship,” added Carbon Worldwide executive director Melvin Chia.

“Malaysia is a suitable place to host events as we have good facilities, it’s ideally located on the map and it’s politically stable. We have organised many international events here including the CIMB Malaysia Classic (golf), sanctioned by the US PGA Tour, and the WTA BMW Malaysia Open (tennis). We need to capitalise on these factors and graduate to the next level,” he added.

There are others who stress that import duties should be slashed to ensure sports equipment and facilities are affordable to the masses.

“The machine for greenskeeping on a golf course ranges between RM30,000 (handheld) to RM100,000. Even our golf clubs are more expensive compared to the USA,” said Golf Digest Malaysia editor Patrick Ho.

“If equipment and sporting facilities are cheap, more people will naturally take up sports. It will ensure a healthy generation of Malaysians and see the sports industry grow to greater heights,” he added.