A Sarawak DAP leader has urged the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (MPM) to give the two gold medallists in the 2024 Paris Paralympics the full RM60,000 reward they were promised.
Sarawak DAP Youth treasurer Wong King Yii said the distribution of just RM25,000 to the gold medallists on Thursday was less than half of what they were promised before the Paris Games, held from Aug 28 to Sept 8 last year.
“This is not how we should treat our heroes. And threats must never be used to silence the very athletes who carry our flag with pride.
“I, therefore, call on MPM to honour its word and pay every Paralympic gold medallist the full RM60,000 and not RM25,000, not a sen less. Anything short of this is a betrayal of trust,” he said in a statement.
Wong said the cash rewards were not merely incentives for many para-athletes but lifelines to sustain their families as well as their careers.
Cheah Liek Hou won gold in the SU5 (physical impairment) men’s singles badminton event in Tokyo 2020, and defended his title in Paris 2024.
Last week, he took to Instagram to voice his frustration that the gold medallists were still waiting for a RM60,000 cash reward promised by the council more than a year after the Games.
MPM president Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin questioned where the RM60,000 figure came from, saying three firms had initially pledged support for the medal winners, but the council had just received RM88,000 from one sponsor to be distributed to the athletes.
Each gold medallist received RM25,000, the silver medallists were given RM15,000, and bronze medallists RM8,000 on Thursday.
However, Bernama had quoted him as saying in August 2024 that gold medallists at the Paris Paralympics would each get a RM60,000 cash incentive, pledged by the three companies.
Despite initially threatening to take disciplinary and legal action against Liek Hou, MPM has since agreed not to suspend the two-time Paralympic gold medallist, according to youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh.
Besides Liek Hou, Malaysia’s other gold medallist at last year’s Paralympics was para powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin in the men’s below 72kg event.
