KUALA LUMPUR: The introduction of a pension scheme for athletes who make it to the Olympic Games will motivate sportsmen to strive for the highest in their respective fields, according to the Malaysian Olympians Association (MOA) and a national diver.
They said besides encouraging them to scale greater heights in bringing glory to the nation, more will opt for a career as an elite athlete as the proposed scheme will make it a sustainable choice for Malaysian sporting talents.
National diver Leong Mun Yee, who will be making her fifth Olympics appearance at the Tokyo games in July next year, said if the proposed pension scheme was approved, it would accord proper recognition to those who might have excelled at other world-class events but failed to win an Olympics medal.
“It will be a big motivation for athletes to work hard and do our best in the Olympics. It will also be an appreciation for all the Olympians for their contributions to our country,” the 36-year-old Perakian told Bernama.
Mun Yee herself is an accomplished diver who has yet to win an Olympics medal despite having featured in the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. Her best outing was a seventh place finish in the women’s 10m synchronised platform in London.
Mun Yee, who took up diving at the age of 10, has had podium finishes at various international tournaments, including the World Championships, and Asian and Commonwealth Games.
She partnered Pandelela Rinong to win Malaysia’s first ever diving world championships medal, clinching bronze in women’s 10m synchronised platform in the 2009 edition in Rome, Italy.
On Thursday, Youth and Sports Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican told the Dewan Rakyat that the ministry was discussing the pension scheme with various sports organisations and that the proposal would be brought to the Cabinet soon. Currently, only Olympics medallists are entitled to a pension.
The idea was mooted by Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Mohamad Norza Zakaria through Bernama when asked about the OCM’s 2021 budget wish list last month.
The pension proposal was also received positively by the MOA, which said such a scheme will ensure that a career as an elite athlete is a sustainable choice for Malaysian sporting talents.
The association said the 340 Malaysian Olympians made up only 0.001% of the country’s population of 32 million and some of them are still competing at the highest levels.
“We welcome the proposal and we would like to continue these types of initiatives and efforts that focus on the wellbeing of our Olympians.
“We should all recognise their achievements and support the tremendous sacrifices they have made in order to raise our country’s profile in the most positive way on the world stage,” MOA said in a statement.
MOA said granting a pension would boost Malaysia’s push for glory at the Olympics as aspiring athletes can be assured of financial support in retirement after dedicating themselves to their sporting careers.