Paralympic Council mulls legal action over athlete's reward scam claim

Summary

• PCM may also take disciplinary measures against badminton player Cheah Liek Hou over allegations he was “scammed” out of a RM60,000 reward.

• DAP MP Chong Zhemin slams PCM president for being a "bully", telling him to resign.

• MCA’s Kang Meng Fuat criticises Hannah Yeoh for acting as PCM’s spokesperson earlier but later distancing her Youth and Sports Ministry, accusing the minister of evading responsibility to protect athletes.

The Paralympic Council Malaysia (PCM) is considering legal action against two-time Paralympic gold medallist Cheah Liek Hou.

This is over the badminton player’s social media post claiming he did not receive a promised RM60,000 cash incentive for winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

However, PCM president Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin said no such amount was promised to Cheah (above) for his win and that the athlete's public statement damaged the latter's credibility while hindering future sponsorship.

"We are discussing with lawyers to see what the next course of action will be.

"We will also send a show cause letter to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). We will send a letter to the National Sports Council to get an ethics code on whether athletes can do this or not," Berita Harian reported him as telling a press conference today.

He said the PCM is always available to discuss matters with athletes but cautioned that statements issued openly will indirectly affect potential sponsorship channels.

Ban warning

A separate report from TwentyTwo13 quoted Megat as highlighting the PCM’s authority to register athletes for participation in multi-sport games.

“In Cheah’s case, if he wants to compete in the badminton World Championships, BAM will register him for that.

"But if he wants to compete in the Asian Games, SEA Games, Olympics or Commonwealth Games, we are the authorised body. If found guilty by our disciplinary committee, we could ban him for life from these events," he added.

Cheah reportedly made the claims on Sept 12, lamenting the alleged broken promise.

"It’s been a year since the Paris Paralympics, but I have yet to receive the incentive promised. It feels like they (PCM) scammed me.

“When they want results, they promise you everything. When we deliver, what do we para-athletes get in return?” he wrote in his post.

PCM: No RM60k promise

Megat said that the use of the word "scam" constituted slander against the PCM.

"I’m perplexed as to how he got the figure of RM60,000 when we never mentioned that figure.

“We said that each gold medallist would receive a minimum of RM15,000, RM10,000 for silver, and RM5,000 for bronze.

“In June, Cheah received a RM10,000 cheque and other incentives for his gold medal. I informed him that the sponsor’s money had arrived and another presentation would be scheduled," he added.

Don’t be a bully

In response, Kampar MP Chong Zhemin called Megat a "bully" and said any consideration to ban Cheah over the matter would be an abuse of power.

In a statement today, the DAP lawmaker told Megat to resign over the latter's failure in leadership as well as for resorting to intimidating Cheah.

"A promise of a reward is not a casual gesture. It is a binding financial commitment. Cheah delivered on his side by winning gold for Malaysia at the Paralympic Games, bringing pride and glory to our nation.

"It is therefore the duty of the PCM to honour its obligation of RM60,000 reward, regardless of whether private sponsors have defaulted.

“Passing the blame onto sponsors does not absolve the council of responsibility," he said.

Chong further called on Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to act quickly to safeguard athletes from unfair treatment.

Yeoh shirking responsibility?

MCA national organising secretary Kang Meng Fuat also chimed in on the matter, accusing Yeoh of inaction over Cheah's plight.

"It is contradictory for the ministry to act as spokesperson for the PCM by announcing incentives, only to later claim 'this is not under our jurisdiction' when problems arise.

"Just days ago, Yeoh herself stated on behalf of PCM that incentives would be paid 'within a few days'.

"Yet when the amount was suddenly reduced, she shifted the blame back to PCM. If she could previously speak on their behalf, why is it suddenly no longer her ministry’s responsibility?" he said in a statement today.

On Sept 13, The Star reported Yeoh as saying the matter had been resolved, assuring that Cheah will be paid the RM60,000 incentive "soon".

She said she had been given an explanation by the PCM and the organisation had already set a date for Cheah to receive the incentive.

The same report said Cheah had clarified in another post that the ministry was not involved - only the PCM.

Kang went on to say that Yeoh has a duty to press the PCM on behalf of athletes, even though the council does not fall under her ministry's jurisdiction.

"If Yeoh truly does not wish to be involved in PCM’s affairs, why did she not make it clear during courtesy calls that the youth and sports ministry would not interfere? Instead, she appeared as their spokesperson.

"MCA urges Yeoh to stop pointing fingers and evading responsibility," he added.

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