NATIONAL Paralympic badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou has stated he does not regret speaking out about the reward issue involving the Paralympic Council of Malaysia.
The two-time Paralympic men’s singles SU5 gold medallist stressed that his action was aimed at fighting for the rights of all para athletes.
Cheah explained that his motivation extended beyond protecting his own interests to safeguarding those of his peers and future generations of athletes.
“If I don’t voice this out, these things will happen to maybe my juniors or up-and-coming para athletes again and again,” he said.
He affirmed his commitment to representing the entire para athlete community to ensure problems are properly addressed.
“So, for me, I will try my best to represent all the para athletes to voice out and solve all the problems,” he told a press conference here today.
The athlete expressed hope that similar issues would not recur in the future.
He suggested that all sports bodies and athletes adopt the Road To Gold sponsorship template to formalise reward agreements with sponsors.
The 38-year-old player, together with national powerlifting champion Bonnie Bunyau Gustin, each received a top-up reward of RM35,000 from retail chain 99 Speed Mart Sdn Bhd.
This additional contribution was for their gold medal victories at the recent Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Cheah confirmed that with today’s contribution, he has now effectively received the full RM60,000 initially promised by PCM.
He had previously received RM25,000 directly from the council.
The controversy began when Cheah publicly claimed that PCM had failed to fulfil its cash reward promise for his Paris 2024 success.
He had expressed his disappointment over the matter on social media platforms.
At the same press conference, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh declared the issue settled following 99 Speed Mart’s intervention. – Bernama
