Is This How We Treat Our Athletes?

When our athletes raise the Jalur Gemilang on the world stage, the whole nation cheers. But when they return home, too often they are met not with respect or rewards, but with red tape, ego-driven management, and broken promises.
The latest case involving para badminton legend Cheah Liek Hou, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, exposes a deep flaw in how we treat our champions. Instead of honouring him, the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPM) threatened disciplinary action — all because he dared to demand what was promised to him.
Why Liek Hou Is Justified in His Actions
1. Broken Promises PCM had promised that the pledged rewards would be given months after the Paris Paralympics. That promise was broken repeatedly. The longer the delay, the deeper the betrayal.
2. Government’s Prompt Payment vs PCM’s Delay The government delivered its official reward in October 2024 without delay. Yet PCM — tasked with managing private pledges from three sponsoring companies — failed to honour its side of the bargain.
3. Damaged Credibility PCM’s credibility has been shredded. Athletes should not have to chase, plead, or feel “scammed” over promised incentives, especially after making the nation proud on the world stage.
4. Public Pressure Works Only after Liek Hou went public did action begin. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh herself intervened, assuring that the payment would finally be made. Without that pressure, would PCM have acted at all?
Background of the Situation
1. Paris 2024 Glory: Liek Hou defended his gold medal in the men’s singles SU5 event, once again putting Malaysia on the map.
2. The Incentive Pledge: PCM announced cash rewards — RM60,000 for gold, RM30,000 for silver, RM15,000 for bronze — from three sponsoring companies.
3. The Year-Long Delay: Nearly a year later, the money was still unpaid. Liek Hou’s public statement that he felt “scammed” was not anger for the sake of anger, but a cry for accountability.
The Bigger Question: Is This Our Sporting Culture? When athletes win, we parade them, we use their faces for sponsorship, we ride on their glory. But when it comes time to honour promises, suddenly — silence, delay, excuses, and even threats.
This is not just about Cheah Liek Hou. This is about the system:
Why were promises made if they couldn’t be kept?
Why was PCM silent for so long?
Why threaten the very athlete who carried Malaysia’s flag to glory, instead of taking responsibility?
How many more of our champions will suffer under “kampung-style management”?
Final Word: Accountability, Not Ego Cheah Liek Hou deserves respect, not reprimand. His actions forced transparency, and his courage should be a lesson: athletes should never be punished for asking what they are rightfully owed.
Malaysia cannot afford to keep treating world-class athletes this way. If prize money from 1971 was only paid in 2025, and if a Paralympic champion must be labelled a “troublemaker” for demanding RM60,000 that was promised — then we are failing as a sporting nation.
The question remains: Are we here to celebrate our athletes, or to break their spirit?

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