PETALING JAYA: Two-time Paralympic gold medallist Cheah Liek Hou can breathe a sigh of relief as the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) will not impose any suspension on him.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh revealed this after a meeting with PCM president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shariman Zaharuddin on Saturday (Sept 20).
However, Liek Hou, who is currently in Beijing for the China Para Badminton International, will still have to provide an explanation to PCM regarding his earlier social media post.
“On the issue surrounding para athletes’ reward claims involving Cheah Liek Hou, this is what the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) and I have agreed on:
"1. No suspension will be imposed on Liek Hou.
"2. PCM will seek further clarification from him over the confusion caused by the use of the term ‘scam’.
"3. Moving forward, all incentives will be issued with a written template for greater clarity and transparency, similar to the Road To Gold model.
“We will now move ahead so that athletes can focus fully on training and competitions. The Youth and Sports Ministry will always stand behind our athletes in their quest to bring glory to Malaysia,” said Hannah.
She also expressed her gratitude to several parties that have reached out to the ministry to provide additional rewards for Malaysia’s five medallists at the Paris Paralympics.
Apart from Liek Hou, who successfully defended his men’s singles SU5 title, Bonnie Bunyau Gustin also struck gold in the men’s 72kg powerlifting event.
Ziyad Zolkefli and Abdul Latif Romly bagged silver in the men’s shot put F20 and long jump T20 respectively, while Eddy Bernard clinched bronze in the men’s 100m T44 sprint.
“I would also like to thank the private sector for contacting my office to top up the Paralympic Council of Malaysia’s reward scheme for our five Paris 2024 Paralympic medallists," she added.
