KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — A sum of RM6.9 million has been approved to meet the needs of athletes under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

Hannah who is also the joint chairman of the RTG committee said the allocation was approved today at the second RTG committee meeting.

"For now this batch has a programme, sufficient funds, and if there additional athletes, the fund would be increased,” she told reporters after the meeting here today.

Hannah said the meeting also approved the special RTG allowance of RM3,000 a month for each athlete under the programme which was established as preparation of athletes for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In another development, RTG coordinator, Datuk Stuart Ramalingam said the committee agreed to meet all requests made by national track cycling champion Datuk Mohd Azizuhasni Awang.

"We will give as much support as we can give, RTG has seen all the needs and all the things requested... (It includes) domestic requests,” he said.

Mohd Azizulhasni was previously reported to have expressed his disappointment with the National Sports Council (MSN) which failed to provide a complete support system here in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2017 Keirin Track Cycling World Champion said a series of discussions were held with MSN in the year before he returned home from a training base in Melbourne, Australia, but so far no solution has been found. — Bernama