LETTERS: Lately, we have been reading in the newspapers and on social media about the plight of our former national athletes on their hospital beds, stricken with serious illness or sickness.
The most recent example is former 13-time World Cup golfer M. Ramayah's plea for financial assistance for his cancer treatment at HUKM, as well as the moral support he required during these trying times.
It was respectful of our Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to visit him on Friday. The minister assured him that the National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) and the ministry would help him with the medical bills.
My Sports Flame, a group of former sportswriters always supportive of and caring about former international athletes, has joined the fold to raise funds for Ramayah.
This is not the first time this state of affairs involving our national athletes, in terms of their situation post-retirement, has been brought to attention.
Many of our former athletes faced financial distress because they were not provided with any significant or sustained assistance upon their retirement, after having represented the country for a long time.
We had read about former Paralympian P. Mariappan, a two-time bronze medallist, whose destitution and hardship in paying his rent and supporting his family were well known.
Former Asean para-swimmer Koh Lee Peng, who had won seven gold and three silver medals between 2001 and 2005, was reported in the newspapers as selling tissues on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.
She received much sympathy from the public for doing this honest job to sustain herself.
What does it tell us? There is little effort by national agencies and their sports associations to care for their athletes who have outlived their usefulness.
There are no pension schemes for post-career, no proper post-career or education path, and no job opportunities for them to be re-employed.
I remember reading that the then youth and sports minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican had studied the possibility of awarding pensions to athletes who qualify for the Olympics, but that effort has now stalled.
Yakeb has its limitations in terms of finance to provide medical insurance, special aid assistance, and RM3,000 in funeral expenses upon the death of a former national athlete. These expenses are minimal for the fame and honour these athletes brought to our country.
Therefore, the National Sports Council, Yakeb and other sport-related agencies should have a meeting with the finance and sports ministries to improve and protect the welfare of our national athletes and their families and dependents.
Yakeb can set up a comprehensive pension scheme, study a better medical insurance scheme, provide gainful employment upon their career retirement in coaching, marketing of sports goods, sports punditry or entrepreneurship, and work on their accomplished skill sets to gain employment.
It is critical that the post-sporting career phase be given more attention, with an emphasis on employment for these athletes as coaches in schools, at the state or national level, or as sports administrators.
We cannot afford to overlook our unsung heroes for this will discourage aspiring athletes from taking up sports.
C. SATHASIVAM SITHERAVELLU
Seremban, Negri Sembilan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times