Leo Chong Wei Fu was crushed when he had to settle for the silver medal in the men's judo competition in the 2017 Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Speaking to Malaysiakini recently, the 28-year-old athlete is still bitter for failing to clinch the gold.
“I blame myself for losing. Even now, when I look back, I feel sad,” Chong said.
Over the years, the judo national team would lose its funding for training, forcing Chong and his teammates to bear the costs involved to keep their dreams afloat.
When he was injured during training, he resorted to treating himself with an ice pack because there was no access to a free physiotherapist.
Despite the odds, Chong trained hard for the 2019 Sea Games in the Philippines. Without allowances provided, he was forced to seek sponsors and use his savings.
However, he failed to make it to the semi-finals.
Undeterred, Chong is still hoping to stamp his mark and has set his sights on the 2022 Sea Games in Vietnam - and is forced to work as an insurance agent and part-time judo trainer to make ends meet.
“Athletes need to train at least five hours a day and we need to rest for our bodies to recover. Since I have started working, I don't know how I will be able to manage.
“I still have the 'spark' but it is not as strong as before because I don't have the money to make it 'burn',” he added.
Govt fixated on gold medals
According to Chong, the National Sports Council (NSC) has little interest in judo because it is considered a non-popular sport.
As a result of this, the national judo team is unable to sign a long-term training contract with the NSC.
Without a contract, judo exponents represent Malaysia in international tournaments but unlike other athletes, they do not have access to resources such as allowances or overseas training.
This situation, Chong rued, made it difficult for these marginalised athletes to put in a hundred percent commitment.
For example, the Sea Games silver medalist said, he would be competing in the 66kg category and therefore must be careful about his diet in order not to become overweight and therefore, disqualified.
“If I don’t follow a strict diet, it will be hard to lose weight (before the competition). If we are within an NSC training programme, the nutritionist will take care of our diets and we don’t have to worry about our meals,” he added.
Furthermore, without a training contract, these athletes do not have access to NSC's training venues and gym facilities.
“Sometimes we don’t even have a place for training, we have to find a place ourselves. One teammate is close to a private club's trainer, so we use this space for training,” Chong said.
He believes that if he had won the gold medal in the 2017 Sea Games, the national judo team might have been offered a long-term contract.
He claimed that the government is transfixed on gold medals.
“Nobody cares who gets silver or bronze. If there is no gold medal, it will be considered as 'no result' and therefore unnecessary to grant additional budget.
“But what are the chances of winning a gold medal without training opportunities?” he asked.
Chong said talent has to be nurtured until it yields results but when NSC decided to pull the plug on funding, the sweat and toil of the athletes over the years were wasted.
“They said the funding will be granted based on performance. But you cannot rely on this alone.
“There are athletes with potential who fail to perform well in a match or competition. You have to give them a chance, not slash their funding,” he added.
After the Youth and Sports Ministry's funding was reduced in the 2022 budget, NSC terminated around 200 national athletes from their training programme, leaving them in a financial conundrum without their allowance.
An NSC official told Malaysiakini that as of Jan 13, at least 146 able-bodied athletes and 32 para-athletes did not get to extend their previous contracts.
Besides this, at least 120 backup athletes were dropped.
As the karate national team hasn't finalised its name list, the extension of 29 karate athletes' contracts is yet to be confirmed.
Among the athletes dropped were former diving world champion Cheong Jun Hoong, national squash player Low Wee Wern and sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli.
We are worth more than RM800
Zaidatul, 28, had won silver in the 100 metres and 200 metres in the 2017 KL SEA Games.
She had returned to training last October for the upcoming Sea Games in Vietnam following a two-year hiatus due to a knee injury.
When contacted, Zaidatul said her financial situation is still stable as she receives an allowance from the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and has savings.
However, the sprinter admitted that she was “shocked” when she heard about the termination but felt a little relieved when the NSC announced that those who were dropped can continue to use the NSC and National Sports Institue (ISN) facilities.
“My coach is worried that I am not going to get what is provided in the training programme,” she said, citing not being able to compete at an international level as an example.
Prior to being dropped, ISN provided a custom diet plan for Zaidatul but now, ISN personnel would not be able to monitor her condition.
Apart from this, she also needs to fork out her own money to purchase supplements, which are crucial for muscle recovery.
For those who are still in the training programme, their allowances have been subjected to a drastic cut, leading national hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian to remark that he cannot provide for his family with an allowance of RM800 and it would be “better to work in McDonald's”.
Meanwhile, national hammer throwers Grace Wong Xiu Mei and Jackie Wong Siew Cheer are also upset that their RM2,000 allowance and contract period were cut.
The pair, who won gold medals in the 2017 Sea Games and silver in the 2019 Sea Games, felt disrespected.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Wong said he is worth more than RM800.
“The reason we chose to be an athlete is not for money but to contribute to the nation - and RM800 does not match with what we have accomplished.
“We know the nation is facing hardship because of the Covid pandemic. But I wonder if the consultants hired by the various government agencies cost much more?” he asked.
For Grace Wong, the latest development is nothing short of demoralising.
“When our allowance was RM2,000, it was not much but we still had to train every day. The allowance is now RM800 but we are still required to win medals. This is unfair to us,” she said. - Mkini
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