SEPANG, Aug 28 ― There will be no grand welcome or special incentives for the sepak takraw players who won the gold medal in the inter-regu event at the Asian Games in Palembang-Jakarta recently.

Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) president Datuk Ahmad Ismail said the move was to ensure that athletes under the association always remained humble despite their international success.

"I’m afraid our players may start to become proud after winning the medal if they are given a grand reception, and I have advised them to avoid such attitude.

"We should remain down to earth, although we have gone 24 years without a medal in the Asian Games, we should not pamper the athletes by giving them monetary incentives or other such treatment,” he told reporters shortly after arriving at klia2 here, today.

Ahmad said what was more important is the continuation of the success, as the squad will next take part in the King’s Cup Championship from Sept 23-30.

Earlier, the country’s inter-regu team ended the country’s 24-year for a gold medal after defeating home side Indonesia 2-1 in the final this afternoon.

Malaysia had previously won the gold medal in the event twice, namely at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China and the 1994 edition in Hiroshima, Japan. ― Bernama