Credit : KBS Malaysia's X
PUTRAJAYA, November 11, 2026 — The government has raised the rewards paid to medal-winning athletes in team events at the Asian Games, Asian Para Games and Commonwealth Games, the first increase in 24 years, Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari announced on Wednesday.
Taufiq made the announcement at a press conference at the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) in Putrajaya, according to KBS Malaysia’s official X account. The ministry also issued a media statement on the change.
New rates under SHAKAM
Through KBS and the National Sports Council (MSN), the government has raised the rewards under the Sports Victory Award Scheme (Skim Hadiah Kemenangan Sukan, or SHAKAM) for team-event athletes. Each gold medallist will now receive RM40,000, up from RM15,000, a rise of 166.67 per cent.
Silver medallists in team events will receive RM20,000 each, up from RM8,000, while bronze medallists will receive RM10,000 each, up from RM4,000. The new rates apply to all teams, with no limit on the number of athletes.
KBS said the increase was approved by the MSN board of management at its meeting on November 10, 2026. It is the first rise in team-event reward rates in 24 years, since they were set in 2002.
Who benefits
The new rates cover medal winners at all three major games of 2026: the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya. As a result, 66 athletes from 10 teams who won medals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games will receive additional payments.
According to the media statement, the affected medals include those in sepak takraw (one gold and one silver), squash (men’s and women’s team gold), hockey (men’s silver), track cycling (women’s team sprint silver), karate (men’s team kata bronze) and esports (silver in Honor of Kings, and bronze in Identity V and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang).
Cost and wider impact
The move carries an additional financial implication of RM1.152 million, including incentives for coaches under the National Coaches Incentive Scheme (Skim Galakan Jurulatih, or SGAR), KBS said.
With the change, total rewards for the three 2026 games rise from RM4.26 million to RM5.41 million, while total SHAKAM payouts for 2026 rise to RM6.69 million, the second-highest figure since the scheme was introduced in 1986, the ministry said.
The ministry noted that no medal in a team sport is won by one person alone, saying every player trains, sacrifices and competes as hard as an individual champion and deserves fair recognition. It described the increase as a sign of the government’s appreciation for team-event athletes who have brought honour to the country in 2026 (translated from Malay).
KBS said the move was also meant to lift the spirits of the national contingent ahead of the SEA Games in 2027, which Malaysia will host.
Also present at the press conference were KBS Secretary-General Dato’ Rahimi Ismail and Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan, Malaysia’s Chef de Mission to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
Earlier this month, Taufiq presented SHAKAM incentives to medallists from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Asian Para Games at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
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