KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — National karate athlete Shahmalarani Chandran will receive a National Sports Incentive Scheme (Shakam) reward of RM40,000 following her success in winning a silver medal at the Karate World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday (November 30).
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the reward was recognition of Shahmalarani's excellent achievement in qualifying for the final stage of the competition for the first time in 11 years.
"This success ends the country's long wait to return to compete in the final stage of the karate world championships and strengthens Shahmalarani's position as one of the main pillars of the country's karate sport on the international stage," she said during a press conference after the Second Session of the 35th National Youth Consultative Council (MPBN), Session 2025-2026 today.
In the women's kumite under 50kg final, Shahmalarani lost 1-6 to Uzbekistan's Gulshan Alimardanova.
The last time Malaysia won a medal in the finals was through Syakilla Salny Jefry Krishnan, who lost to Giana Farouk from Egypt in the women's under 61kg event in the 2014 edition.
Meanwhile, Yeoh said three motions related to youth development were debated by delegates at the second session of the 35th MPBN today.
They include the government developing a comprehensive complaints mechanism based on artificial intelligence (AI), strengthening the ecosystem of leadership and socio-economic development for youth in an integrated manner, and urging the government to create public interventions to address the risks of social and health problems among youth.
