Former national athlete Marina Chin has clarified that recipients of the National Sports Awards during her era were not allowed to accept direct financial rewards in order to protect their amateur status.
Chin, who was named National Sportswoman in 1976 and 1977, said the policy at the time prohibited amateur athletes from receiving any direct cash payments.
According to Chin, receiving a cash reward for their athletic achievements could have seen them lose their amateur status and this would affect their eligibility for amateur competitions.
“As such, all financial allocations were routed through the respective national sports associations to fund talent development, training, and competition participation,” she said in a statement today.
Chin added that this protocol was fully understood and never questioned by athletes at the time.
She also emphasised that the matter has no bearing on the current youth and sports ministry, as it relates to policies and practices in the past.
Chin suggested that the National Sports Council and the relevant sports associations publish an official record of how financial incentives under the National Sports Awards were disbursed since the awards began in the 1960s.
“If a review finds any shortfalls or legitimate claims, corrective action should be taken honourably,” she said.
“I believe that with transparency, the contributions of the nation’s sporting legends can not only be recognised, but their sports legacy can also be restored and continue to be appreciated by future generations.”
Chin’s comments come after an FMT report revealed that several top Malaysian athletes, including bowling great JB Koo, badminton star Sylvia Ng, and nine athletics icons, never received the RM5,000 cash prize that came with the National Sportsman and Sportswoman award between 1966 and 1982.
The youth and sports ministry has since responded to the report, saying that it will assist in resolving the issue.
Malaysia Athletics has also set up a task force to investigate the issue, and the Malaysian National Cycling Federation has committed to paying the outstanding incentive to cycling icon Ng Joo Ngan, who will finally receive his full RM5,000 prize money after being named National Sportsman for 1970.
Hockey legend M Mahendran was another one of those who were not given their cash reward. However, as of yesterday, he received the RM5,000 prize money from Kedah Hockey Association president, Rodhanizam Mat Radzi, on behalf of Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Subahan Kamal.
