Medals in badminton proof of RTG programme's success - Yeoh

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has hailed the effectiveness of the Road To Gold (RTG) programme by citing the recent achievements of national badminton players.

She referred to the gold and silver medals of Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles) and Pearly Tan-M Thinaah (women’s doubles) at the recent Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships in Paris, France.

This, she said, showed that the investment made by the government was worthwhile for Malaysian sports.

“For the RTG, athletes will sign contracts promising their commitment to the country, as this is a national investment. So, in just four months, we can see its success.

“Their success is a significant achievement for the RTG, which has invested funds for all these four shuttlers,” she said when met at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Earlier, Chen, 27, Toh, 24, Tan, 25, and Thinaah, 27, received a hero’s welcome after returning from the World Championships, which ended on Sunday.

Perseverance and inspiration

Asked to comment on the gold medal success of Chen and Toh, Yeoh was full of praise for the way they have bounced back, having previously announced that they were splitting up in March.

The minister said the pair should now be viewed as one of the world’s mixed doubles giants after their golden feat in Paris.

“Sometimes, your perseverance will take you to the next breakthrough. I am very happy that they continued to work hard since resuming their partnership and for never giving up,” she said.

Yeoh also praised the efforts put in by the women’s doubles pair Tan and Thinaah, who returned home with the silver medal.

“They are an inspiration to many women shuttlers in Malaysia. They have turned imagination into reality - and that’s a great achievement,” she said.

Hannah said the four are deserving recipients of the National Sports Incentives Scheme (Shakam), where gold medallists receive RM20,000 and silver medallists receive RM10,000.

“I have also discussed with BAM president Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz for additional ‘Shakam’ incentives. An announcement on that will be made later,” she said.

- Bernama

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