KOTA BHARU: The National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) aims to register a total of 1,000 former athletes under the foundation throughout this year to increase its current membership of 3,079 members.
Its chairman, Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed, said this is to ensure that every former athlete receives proper protection through various benefits offered by the scheme.
"We hope to reach 4,000 members this year, so any former athletes who have not registered can do so immediately through online registration as we provide various forms of assistance to them.
"These include covering critical medical expenses up to RM20,000, RM20,000 worth of equipment, as well as other assistance such as death benefits and educational assistance for their children," he said.
He told reporters after visiting and presenting donations to former Kelantan cager Wee Chong Por, who is now bedridden after experiencing osteoporosis problems at the Shales Care Centre here on Saturday (April 27).
Noorul Ariffin said that Yakeb has allocated approximately RM500,000 this year, benefiting 150 former athletes nationwide through various forms of aid, including healthcare equipment.
He added that in Kelantan, about 300 former athletes have been identified so far, mostly comprising Paralympic athletes, who have received various benefits provided by Yakeb.
Commenting further, Noorul Ariffin explained that his visit to Kelantan on Saturday is also to visit and provide donations to former national football athlete Apandi Yusof, 73, who is currently undergoing treatment at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian for a lung infection.
Meanwhile, Wee expressed gratitude for the Yakeb delegation to the rehabilitation centre, as he is no longer able to walk after knee surgery about 10 years ago.
Wee, now 82 years old, began his career as a basketball player at the age of 16. He was relocated to the care centre about three weeks ago when his wife, Loi Ham Weong, 83, became unable to care for him due to stage four lung cancer and is also receiving treatment at the same centre.
Wee had won a gold medal in basketball at the 1979 Asian Games in Jakarta and the 1985 SEA Games in the Philippines, as well as serving as the coach of the national basketball team. - Bernama
