KUALA LUMPUR — The Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) today denied widely circulated reports that they intended to impose a lifetime suspension on para-badminton star Cheah Liek Hou, saying those claims were “not true” and had been blown out of proportion by certain media outlets.
Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, president of PCM, told reporters the council respects athletes’ right to free speech but urged that grievances be raised through proper, established channels rather than in public forums.
The statement stressed that freedom of expression must be balanced with due process and the organisation’s written procedures.
PCM spelt out that they have formal, written internal investigation procedures and that any disciplinary action would only follow those procedures and be based on verified facts. For now, the council said, no suspension has been imposed on the athlete.
PCM said they would seek clarification from Liek Hou’s national association about his use of the word “scam” when describing a sponsorship pledge, and that they expect such matters to be handled through the proper sporting body rather than being inflamed in public.
The fresh rebuttal from PCM comes after Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh earlier called on sporting bodies not to turn sponsorship disputes into disciplinary battles.
Hannah said athletes who raise concerns over delayed or missing rewards should not be penalised and urged greater transparency and stronger governance to prevent such rows.
The row began when Liek Hou — a gold medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games — publicly accused the council of failing to deliver a RM60,000 cash incentive pledged to him. PCM replied by issuing a show-cause letter and warned they might pursue legal steps or suspension if the matter warranted further action.
Hannah has characterised the dispute as a governance problem and urged both the PCM and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to adopt contract standards similar to the Road to Gold (RTG) model to ensure sponsorship promises are formalised.
In their written explanation, PCM reiterated that they have been working with sponsors since 2019 to improve rewards for Para athletes and that all sponsorship obligations are managed transparently and professionally, while recognising that, on rare occasions, sponsorship commitments may be withdrawn or changed and must be communicated to stakeholders.
The council thanked the ministry for sharing the RTG sponsorship template and said they would use that as an additional reference.
PCM also said they welcomed constructive public feedback but warned against criticism rooted in falsehoods, racial undertones or malicious rumours that could harm national unity and the development of Para sport.
They noted that the sports minister had contacted the council on September 20 and that several understandings were reached during that discussion.
For now, PCM is calling for calm and for disputes to be resolved through formal mechanisms — internal inquiries, national associations and the channels provided by government sport bodies. — September 23, 2025