KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) says it is taking seriously the issue of unpaid cash prizes to several recipients of the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards dating back to 1966.
The matter was first highlighted by Free Malaysia Today (FMT), which reported that at least 10 former national athletes never received the RM5,000 cash incentive promised alongside their award. Among them were sprinter Junaidah Aman, shuttler Sylvia Ng, walker Khoo Chong Beng, and hockey legend M. Mahendran.
Responding to the report, KBS said it is committed to finding a solution.
“The Youth and Sports Ministry views seriously the issue of incentive payments that have yet to be fulfilled to several Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year recipients since 1966,” the ministry said in a statement today.
KBS clarified that since 1984, when the ministry took over and began organising the National Sports Awards through the National Sports Council (NSC), there have been no issues of unpaid incentives.
“Nonetheless, KBS will help to find a resolution by engaging with the sports associations involved that governed the athletes in their respective sports,” the statement added.
The ministry praised the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) for already taking responsibility by paying Ng Joo Ngan, the 1970 Sportsman of the Year.
It also noted that the Malaysia Athletics (MA) had expressed readiness to set up a special task force to investigate and determine the outstanding amounts owed.
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“This proactive step will help resolve the matter quickly and ensure the recognition given to their athletes continues to be honoured,” KBS said.
FMT’s report was published earlier this week, shortly after Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh confirmed that newly crowned badminton mixed doubles world champions Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei will each receive RM20,000 under the SHAKAM scheme for their historic gold medal in Paris last month. – September 6, 2025