Paralympics gold medallist Cheah Liek Hou has slammed the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (MPM) over its delay in giving out a RM60,000 cash incentive to gold medallists at the 2024 Paris Games.
Taking to Instagram, the men’s singles shuttler said it has been about a year since the Paris Paralympics, but the council has yet to distribute the incentive that it promised gold medallists.
The two-time Paralympics gold medallist said it was like he and other winners at the Paris Games had been “scammed”.
“When they want results, they make all kinds of promises. But once we’ve won the medals, what are you doing for the para athletes? Where’s the (incentive) you promised, MPM?” said Liek Hou.
In a separate posting, he said this only concerned the MPM, and had nothing to do with the youth and sports ministry or the national sports council.
“In fact, our youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh had arranged for our Sports Victory Prize Incentive to be given to us on Oct 26, 2024, a month after the Paris Paralympics was over.
“We’re only demanding what we had been promised by the MPM, nothing more, nothing less,” he said.
Liek Hou first won a gold medal in the SU5 (physical impairment) men’s singles para-badminton at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, and defended his title at the 2024 Paris Games last year.
In August 2024, MPM president Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin said three companies had pledged to give a RM60,000 incentive to athletes who won a gold medal at the Paris Games.
He said those who won silver and bronze would receive RM30,000 and RM15,000, respectively.
