KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will create a one-stop centre for troubled athletes who have retired, been laid off from their contracts or dropped from sports programmes.
Its minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said a special protection scheme would also be established to help athletes and former athletes who struggled with treatment costs.
“We have indeed received many (reports of) problems from athletes, and we cannot just close our eyes (over the issue). A comprehensive working paper will be created over the matter and presented in the near future,” he said.
He added that if anybody knew of athletes or former athletes who were facing difficulties, they could report it to KBS.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said his ministry, through the National Athletic Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) was trying to get in touch with disabled athlete Mohamad Syazwan Roshdi who was reported to be homeless.
“We are looking for a way to contact him; I have also asked Yakeb to find a way to deliver aid to him.
“This is not just a one-off, but also a long-term solution,” he said after launching the Women Journalists’ Association of Malaysia’s bowling competition yesterday morning.
It was previously reported that Mohamad Syazwan, the gold medallist for the road cycling event at the 9th Para Asean Games was said to be sleeping in a surau at the Sultan Iskandar Customs Immigration and Quarantine complex after allegedly being cheated by a friend who promised to get him a job in Singapore.
He was trying to get the job as his contract with the National Sports Council as a full-time athlete was not renewed. – Bernama
