KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia will reward all five Olympic gold medal winners from Asean nations with free flights for life, group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes announced today.
"What an Olympics this was for Asean," Fernandes wrote on his Facebook page.
"Airasia which has its roots in Asean wants to reward those who gave us so much joy. Also they taught and reminded us Never to give up on your dreams and never stop believing you can be the best in the world."
Asean nations registered five gold medals through Vietnam's shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh, Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling, Indonesian badminton pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliana Natsir and Thai weightlifters Sopita Tanasan and Sukanya Srisurat.
In all, Asean nations registered 18 medals at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Malaysia, with four silver and a bronze medal, also returned with its best ever Olympic performance since debuting in 1956.
"We want all Asean to believe they can be the best in the world. Thank you to all the medalists for making us dream and believe," Fernandes said.
When contacted, Fernandes said the budget carrier will reward the 10 silver medal winners from Asean nations with free flights for the next five years, while the three bronze medallists will receive free flights for the next three years.