‘Correct to reward Pandelela, Cheong with pension’

KUCHING: Sarawak State Sports Council ( SSC) chief executive officer Dr Ong Kong Swee yesterday defended the approval of lifetime monthly pension of RM3,000 to Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hoong.

He said it was unfair and wrong for army pensioner Rozzeli Pin from Kedah to lodge a police report on Saturday against the duo just because he got less pension than Pandelela and Cheong, who made the nation proud by winning silver at a diving event in Rio.

“If Malaysia were to succeed in producing gold medallists in future, what happens to their future after they retire? We all know that in sports, athletes tend to retire early, more so if they sustained injuries. So there’s the question of how will they sustain themselves when they do not have steady income anymore.”

Ong said it was not easy to be an athlete.

“Athletes like Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Pandelela, Ju Hoong and Datuk Nicol David are real heroes. Their parents sacrificed everything and put aside their dreams of raising future engineers or doctors in order to see their children go all the way in the sports they love. They are heroes, too.”

Hence, argued Ong, it was right that the federal and state governments award pensions and other types of aid to Olympians, especially those from Sarawak.

“People who are into sports will know how much contribution athletes have to give. They too sacrificed a great deal of time and also feel the pain, sweat and tears. They have to go through all these, and they don’t have normal lives. Other people only see the final part, when the athletes perform and produce the results but not the preparation and sacrifices of the athletes, coaches and parents, among others,” he said.