KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has dispelled the notion that giving monetary rewards will breed complacency among Malaysian athletes.

“When I was in Rio for the Olympics, not one person spoke about monetary rewards. For them, what was important was to win for the country,” Khairy said.

“Before the badminton men’s doubles final, I had a conversation with Lee Chong Wei. I asked him if the athletes might perform better with added incentives.

“He immediately said no, asserting that the players were doing it for the country. That means they will still fight for the country regardless of the rewards.”

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced an extra RM200,000 to all medal winners regardless of the colour but this announcement was met with mixed feelings.

Some felt the athletes who made the finals lost without putting up a good fight. Thus giving them more money would not encourage them to work harder and instead make them complacent.

Malaysia won four silver and a bronze in Rio.

Despite not winning a gold, Khairy said he was not disappointed with the results.

He said winning a medal from a sport (cycling) other than badminton and diving was a good sign.

Khairy also wants Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to start moving into the post-Chong Wei era.

Malaysia will be left with a huge void once the ace retires.

Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong are No 9 in the world while mixed doubles pair Goh Liu Ying-Chan Peng Soon are No 8.

The last pair to be ranked within the top five was Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Keat in 2007 when they were world No 1 and won the All-England title.

On their end, BAM have decided from now, all players must pass a fitness test if they want to compete on the international stage.

“A discussion with BAM technical director Morten Frost revealed Malaysian players are not psychologically weak like everyone thinks but rather lack fitness,” said Khairy.

“When you are deep into a rubber game and are unfit, the first thing to go will be your mind. Once that happens, you cannot win.”

Khairy cited Malaysia’s loss to Denmark during the semifinals of the Thomas Cup in May with the players looking lethargic whenever matches went into rubber games.