KUCHING: Sarawak State Sports Council (SSC) chief executive officer Dr Ong Kong Swee has voiced his support of the approval of a lifetime pension of RM3,000 each to the nation’s Olympic divers Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hoong.
He said it was unfair and not right for a 38-year-old army pensioner from Kedah to lodge a police report at Gurung Kedah police station last Saturday against the two Olympians just because he got less pension than Pandaleela and Cheong, who recently made the nation proud by winning silver medals in the women’s synchronized 10m platform dive at Rio Olympics.
“If Malaysia were to focus on improving its sports performance and succeed in producing gold medallists, what happens to their future after they retire? And we know that in sports, athletes tend to have to retire early and more so if they sustain injuries. So there’s the question of how will they sustain themselves after they have no steady income,” Dr Ong said.
“At the end of the day, it’s not easy being an athlete – all that blood, sweat and tears.
“Athletes like (national badminton player) Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Pandelela, Ju Hoong and (national squash player) Datuk Nicol David are real heroes. And their parents who sacrificed everything, put aside their dreams of raising a future engineer or doctor to see their children go all the way in the sports they love, are also heroes,” he added.
“Hopefully their sacrifices and struggles make Malaysians appreciate the athletes we have even more.”
He said it is justified that the federal and state government reciprocate by awarding pensions and other type of assistance to Olympic athletes, especially Sarawakians.
“People who are in sports will know actually how much contribution sports athletes have to give. They too sacrificed great amount of time and also feel pain, give out sweat and tears. They have to go through all these plus they don’t have normal life,” Dr Ong explained.
“Others only see the part where the athletes perform and produce results, but not the preparation and the contribution of the athletes, coaches and parents, among others.”
It was reported by a newsportal that the army pensioner from Kedah had lodged a police report against the national divers on Sunday, quoting him as saying that “the contributions of security force personnel who risk their lives to safeguard the nation far exceeds that of the athletes who ‘only dived from a plank'”. -TheBorneoPost
He said it was unfair and not right for a 38-year-old army pensioner from Kedah to lodge a police report at Gurung Kedah police station last Saturday against the two Olympians just because he got less pension than Pandaleela and Cheong, who recently made the nation proud by winning silver medals in the women’s synchronized 10m platform dive at Rio Olympics.
“If Malaysia were to focus on improving its sports performance and succeed in producing gold medallists, what happens to their future after they retire? And we know that in sports, athletes tend to have to retire early and more so if they sustain injuries. So there’s the question of how will they sustain themselves after they have no steady income,” Dr Ong said.
“At the end of the day, it’s not easy being an athlete – all that blood, sweat and tears.
“Athletes like (national badminton player) Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Pandelela, Ju Hoong and (national squash player) Datuk Nicol David are real heroes. And their parents who sacrificed everything, put aside their dreams of raising a future engineer or doctor to see their children go all the way in the sports they love, are also heroes,” he added.
“Hopefully their sacrifices and struggles make Malaysians appreciate the athletes we have even more.”
He said it is justified that the federal and state government reciprocate by awarding pensions and other type of assistance to Olympic athletes, especially Sarawakians.
“People who are in sports will know actually how much contribution sports athletes have to give. They too sacrificed great amount of time and also feel pain, give out sweat and tears. They have to go through all these plus they don’t have normal life,” Dr Ong explained.
“Others only see the part where the athletes perform and produce results, but not the preparation and the contribution of the athletes, coaches and parents, among others.”
It was reported by a newsportal that the army pensioner from Kedah had lodged a police report against the national divers on Sunday, quoting him as saying that “the contributions of security force personnel who risk their lives to safeguard the nation far exceeds that of the athletes who ‘only dived from a plank'”. -TheBorneoPost
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