Multiple world champions deserve pension scheme, says Syarul

New Straits Times

3 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Syarul Azman Mahen Abdullah has reiterated the need for there to be a pension scheme for retired multiple world champions in non-Olympic sports.
Syarul, a six-time world championship winning bodybuilder, believes that athletes who have won two or more world championship titles in their respective sports should be entitled to receive such a pension.
"I hope the Youth and Sports Ministry will consider providing a pension to such athletes from non-Olympic sports," said Syarul when met recently.
"If an athlete wins a world title once, people can say he or she was lucky, or say that none of the big guns competed that year.
"But if an athlete wins the world title two, three, four or five times, that is not luck.
"I think a minimal pension amount of RM2,000 would be sufficient. There are also not that many athletes who have won multiple world titles in non-Olympic sports, we are not talking about a battalion here.
"I believe this pension is very important. Athletes (once retired from competition) can coach or open an academy when they are still relatively young but what are they going to do once they reach an old age? They can't go on working forever.
"I have spoken about this before but it fell on deaf ears."
Besides Syarul himself, eight-time world champion Datuk Nicol David (squash) and four-time world champion Al Jufferi Jamari (pencak silat) are among those who would be eligible for the pension proposed by Syarul.
Syarul believes athletes who excel at the highest level in non-Olympic sports deserve to be recognised just like their counterparts from Olympic sports.
"I sympathise with athletes from non-Olympic sports," said Syarul.
"Athletes from Olympic sports are taken care of like the golden child and have plenty of programmes for them.
"But you have to remember that athletes from non-Olympic sports also win medals for the country consistently."
Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallists receive a lifetime pension of RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM2,000 respectively via the National Athletes Incentive Scheme.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has in recent years suggested setting up a trust fund to fund an expanded pension scheme for all Malaysian athletes.
The scheme, however, has yet to get off the ground.