Breaking promises to athletes undermines trust and integrity, ultimately jeopardising the future of sports in the country
Cheah Liek Hou
NEARLY 60 years ago, a promise was made but the wait for its fulfillment has dragged on far too long and might have been forgotten if not for bold investigative reporting that brought the issue back into the public eye.
Promises are easy to make but shockingly simple to break, leading not just to disappointment but also to a profound sense of disillusionment and abandonment.
The row over unfulfilled “award” promises erupted after recent reports revealed the extent of these broken commitments. Between 1966 and 2025, at least 10 top national athletes have been overlooked. The Youth and Sports Ministry has pledged to address the issue and Malaysia Athletics (MA) has launched a task force to investigate.
However, the financial compensation provided, thus far, has been minimal. To date, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation reimbursed the pledged RM5,000 to M Mahendran while the National Cycling Federation promised to pay Ng Joo Ngan his overdue cash prize from 1970. Two others who each received their promised RM5,000 lately are bowlers JB Koo and Shirley Chow for winning the 1979 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards respectively — a wrong made right decades later.
Despite assurances, many champions of that period remain uncertain about the payment of their long-overdue awards amid ongoing investigations by the Sports Ministry. While assured that non-payment will not extend beyond their retirement, most have yet to receive any compensation for their hard-earned achievements. It is believed all winners between 1966 and 1982 may have been affected by this grave oversight.
The voices of these overlooked athletes must be heard to ensure future champions are not similarly neglected. The issue is no longer whether restitution will manifest as better late than never or too little too late but rather how these promises can be translated into actionable commitments.
P Savithri’s missing pentathlon gold medal from the 1971 SEAP Games exemplifies the neglect of our past champions. After lending the medal for an exhibition, it was never returned and no one seemed to care until the press caught wind of it. Although Savithri, now 84, has been promised a replica, it cannot replace the pride and memories tied to the original she fought hard to earn.
The rationale for withholding cash awards from athletes between 1966 and 1982 was that payments might compromise their amateur status. Some believe amateur athletes should receive one-time cash payments with regulations for endorsements while others advocate stricter limits.
The key question is why even promised direct cash awards when amateurism reigned in Malaysian sports between 1966 and 1982? If the goal was to motivate the athletes, wouldn’t failing to fulfill these promises suggest bad faith and broken trust?
Malaysian athletes have been honoured through the National Sports Awards (ASN or Anugerah Sukan Negera)) since 1966, receiving prestigious titles and a one-time cash prize of RM20,000. While this system recognises exceptional accomplishments in sports, lingering past unfulfilled promises continue to overshadow such honours. Historically, the ASN did not provide direct cash payments to athletes, instead funnelling funds through sports associations for supposed development purposes. But this practice led to controversy, leaving athletes disheartened by unfulfilled promises of cash rewards.
Recent reforms have changed this approach. Cash awards and additional financial incentives are now granted directly to athletes for outstanding international achievements through dedicated schemes like Shakam and the Sports Victory Prize Scheme. These changes reflect a commitment to honour and reward the dedication and success of athletes.
In 1986, a significant change occurred for amateur athletes in Malaysia. Since the introduction of Shakam, athletes have been awarded cash and other prizes at all levels, including national, regional, and international competitions like Sukma, SEA Games, Asian Games, World Championships, Olympics, and Paralympics.
The primary focus is on the Olympics, where Malaysian individual gold medallists are entitled to a prize of RM1,000,000. Silver medallists receive RM300,000, and bronze medallists receive RM100,000. To date, only two athletes have received the million-ringgit award — Sarawakian Bonnie Bunyau Gustin and KL-born Cheah Liek Hou who won gold in their respective events — weightlifting and badminton – at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Regrettably, this triumph was overshadowed by yet another troubling episode of unfulfilled promises. The Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) decided to slash the cash incentive after one of the sponsors withdrew, resulting in a sizeable cut to the initially pledged amount of RM60,000 for gold medallists.
The issue escalated when Cheah called out the PCM for failing to deliver the promised cash incentive for his gold medal win at the Paris Paralympics, allegedly expressing feelings of being scammed. In response, the Council deemed Cheah’s comments “excessive” and threatened to suspend him.
The PCM was said to have announced awards without securing necessary funds first and it only managed to obtain RM88,000 from a single sponsor for all para medallists from Paris.
As a result, gold medallist Cheah received only RM25,000 — less than half of the amount originally promised. Fortunately, the disparity was addressed when another sponsor contributed an additional RM35,000 to the cause. Cheah and Bonnie received the outstanding balance on Sept 23. While the fate of other medallists – Ziyad Zolkefli and Abdul Latif Romly (silver medallists in shot put and long jump, respectively), and Eddy Bernard (bronze medallist in the 100m)— was not explicitly mentioned, it is hoped they, too, were treated fairly.
The Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council distributed the promised awards within just one month after the Games, underscoring public sentiment on the importance of keeping promises made to athletes as it reflects the nation’s collective gratitude and sends a powerful message of support. Indeed, no athlete who has delivered for the country on the world stage, should have to plead for what has been promised.
Hannah Yeoh
To close this controversial chapter, Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh facilitated a three-pronged agreement chapter: (1) Cheah will not be suspended; (2) the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) will seek clarification regarding Cheah’s use of the term “scam” and (3) future incentives will have a written template based on the Road to Gold (RTG) model for clarity and transparency.
Launched in April 2023, the RTG initiative aims to win Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal while providing structured support and financial backing to help elite athletes achieve peak performance. Former sports stars like Lee Chong Wei and Nicol Ann David have been engaged to evaluate support needs.
Regarding post-competition welfare, the Sports Ministry is taking steps to ensure champions, especially those with lower incomes, receive the support necessary for a stable future.
Yeoh has stated poignantly: “Can you believe that our top Asian Games medallists are unable to afford a car? Why is this happening? It’s because they lack job opportunities or contracts that would allow them to live a decent life. We celebrate our gold medallists – Malaysia’s highest-level sports representatives – yet they don’t have basic financial infrastructures like the ability to buy a house or get married. If we neglect these issues, they may decide to quit.” And who can blame them?
Compensation varies across sports, with popular disciplines like badminton offering better payments compared to less popular ones like track and field. diving, squash and swimming. Currently, only Olympic medallists receive pensions. The Road-to-Gold programme which promises renewed hopes, has signed 301 athletes and para-athletes to new contracts with more expected soon. Coaches also benefit from better contracts as their salaries have not been reviewed since 2014.
M Jegathesan
Between 1966 and 1982, many track and field athletes were overlooked and did not receive the financial recognition they deserved alongside athletes from other sports whose exact number remains unknown. A Malaysia Athletics task force is investigating past oversights but the results are still pending, perhaps taking longer than they ought to.
Former champions awaiting promised cash awards include M Jegathesan (1966), M Rajamani (1966), Junaidah Aman (1971-1972), V Subramaniam (1978), Khoo Chong Beng (1980), and Sylvia Ng (1975-1978). While the amounts owed are significant to these athletes, they are minor compared to the rewards offered to today’s champions, highlighting a pressing fairness issue in recognizing our sports heroes.
Sarawak’s former SEAP Games (now SEA Games) medallists are also deserving of recognition but they are not included in the list. Their stories are written in glossy books that sit on lonely shelves. What they truly need are meaningful rewards that honour their contributions and sacrifices. It’s time to ensure they receive the recognition they deserve, perhaps even posthumously.
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