'If Cheah suspended, we no longer have freedom to defend rights'

Summary

• Para-athletes come to Cheah Liek Hou’s defence, saying the gold medallist had merely voiced his demand for fair compensation.

• They say the authorities play a role in ensuring the welfare of para-athletes is taken care of.

Paralympic athletes have criticised the Paralympic Council Malaysia’s (PCM) treatment of gold medallist Cheah Liek Hou, emphasising that the badminton champion acted within his rights to demand fair compensation.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to Malaysiakini, the athletes said there was no justification for threats of legal action and suspension against Cheah, and that he deserved to be treated with respect and dignity.

“The authorities in charge should be held accountable, because ultimately, their role is to ensure that the welfare of the athletes is taken care of, in addition to making sure that we also perform our best,” said Rose (pseudonym).

Another athlete, Daisy (also a pseudonym), echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the issue as a matter concerning athletes’ rights and dignity.

“Even though Cheah has an impairment, he still deserves to be treated with dignity. I strongly believe there’s no reason to suspend him from the next games, because he was only expressing his feelings without touching on any sensitive issues.

“If he really gets suspended, it means athletes no longer have the freedom to stand up for their rights,” said Daisy.

She also emphasised that the issue likely also would have been “swept under the rug” if Cheah had not voiced out his frustrations.

‘Our only source of income’

Retired national wheelchair tennis star A Thangarajoo highlighted that for many disabled athletes, these tournaments are usually their main source of income. Hence, it was reasonable for them to expect fair compensation.

“For many of us, sports are our main source of income. Once we are no longer capable of playing, most of us do not have any other income sources. So after we have achieved the desired outcome, why aren’t these promises being fulfilled?

“We have sacrificed so much for the country. When abroad, we are representing our country as a whole, not just ourselves… So if it is true that PCM has made these promises to Cheah, why would they want to take legal action against him for only highlighting the matter?” he questioned.

The tennis star, who began his career in the 1980s, retired in 2002 and now survives mainly on disability assistance from the Social Welfare Department, without any financial compensation from the government for his previous achievements.

“Even if we frequently represent the country, we would still be expected to compete in the Olympics. Yet, even then, we would be expected to win first before we can expect to have a steady source of income.

“So if we do not reach this stage, it is likely that our welfare will eventually be neglected.

“In Cheah’s case, he has made the country proud by heading all the way to the Olympics. So if his allegations are true, then what is holding the council back from fulfilling their promises?” he added.

He also explained how the Paralympic Council had not yet been established during the earlier days of his career; hence, athletes had to rely solely on independent sponsorships from specific clubs and organisations.

Although things have improved significantly under newer initiatives by the Youth and Sports Ministry, and with the establishment of the PCM, he nevertheless emphasised that athletes sometimes still found it difficult to believe the authorities on matters related to financial compensation.

“Sometimes, they make promises but then inform athletes at the last minute that they are no longer able to obtain sponsors,” he said.

Long-term oversight

Rose, who acknowledged that she is lucky to be working a full-time job alongside her part-time contract as a national athlete, said that there should be more efforts to ensure that the welfare of athletes who can no longer compete is still being taken care of.

“This should be a matter of long-term oversight in making sure that once these para-athletes retire, they don’t just end up on the streets. Because money does run out,” she said.

However, she also recognised the significant improvements in recent initiatives to address the matter, such as introducing Paralympic athletes to undertake various courses in different areas of sports sciences, physiotherapy, and coaching.

Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh had also called upon the council to emulate the Road to Gold (RTG) committee’s approach in taking proactive steps by ensuring all rewards promised by sponsors to athletes were formalised in official contracts before meets began.

The minister also expressed hope that the matter between Cheah and the council would soon be resolved.

‘Dishonest’ PCM

Earlier, Cheah reportedly accused PCM of being “dishonest” for failing to deliver the RM60,000 cash incentive promised to him after winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

The frustration voiced by the national para-badminton ace had caught Yeoh’s attention, who also disagreed with the way PCM had handled the matter, particularly by issuing a show-cause letter against Cheah.

PCM president Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin had earlier announced that he would consider legal action against Cheah, adding that the council would not hesitate to suspend the latter from participating in future major events.

Megat also claimed that the amount of RM60,000 was not promised to Cheah, adding that the athlete’s public statement had damaged the latter's credibility while hindering future sponsorship.

Yeoh stressed that the ministry would not support any move to suspend or take disciplinary action against Cheah, and urged that it was time to improve the existing governance system.

Several other politicians have also voiced their concerns on the matter, including PKR vice-president Jimmy Puah, who described the council’s treatment of Cheah as “disgraceful.”

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