KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — The Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) will be reimbursed the RM480,000 deposit given to the Pahang government to organise the 2012 Malaysian Paralimpiad Games after a 10-year wait.
PCM president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin said the money was ‘stuck’ with the state government following technical difficulties with the old PCM leadership and dragged on for years, so the present leadership did whatever was necessary, including meeting the Pahang police chief and the Pahang state government secretary’s office.
“Alhamdulillah, two weeks ago Pahang Human Resource, Youth, Sports and Non-governmental Organisations committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Hussain contacted PCM and informed us they would make the payment, all we needed to do was provide documentation,” he said at a virtual media conference today.
Meanwhile, PCM secretary-general Datuk R Subramaniam said the council handed over the money to the Pahang government at that time, while waiting funds from the Youth and Sports Ministry.
“At that time, the organiser was lacking in funds, so they asked for help from PCM, so we provided the deposit, but the process to get it back was slow. So the new committee went full force to get back the money,” he said.
Regarding PCM’s financial status during the Covid-19 pandemic, Megat D Shahriman said they were trying to look for sponsors to strengthen the association’s financial status, only after receiving a RM100,000 grant from the National Sports Council (NSC) this year.
He also said that athletes’ preparation to the Tokyo Paralympic Games was progressing smoothly and as planned by the NSC with the target of displaying their peak performance at the games.
“The athletes will not participate in any championship after this, they will continue routine training and manage their nutrition. What’s important at this time is not to get (infected) by Covid-19.
“Some athletes like Bonnie Bunyau Gustin has not gone home to see her family for two years,” he added. — Bernama
