Malaysia's top sailor has been forced to shelve his Olympic ambitions and find a job due to lack of government support, local media reported on Wednesday.

Kevin Lim, a doctor who won silver medals in the Laser category at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, has accepted a post in Sydney, Australia after the National Sports Council (NSC) failed to give him financial commitments.

"I was offered a job in Sydney and since I had not heard anything further from the NSC, I decided to accept the post," he said. "I am tired of waiting for a concrete answer from them.

"Besides, it is good to make some money again. I still have interest in sailing but it is difficult to start any serious campaign without proper funding.

"Sailing is a very expensive sport. Already I have had to sit out the racing season in Australia because of a lack of funds."

Lim finished fourth and just outside the medals at last year's Doha Asian Games, causing the government to slash his grants.