GEORGE TOWN: The National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) is calling on former athletes who have yet to register with the body to do so without delay to ensure aid can be channelled and their welfare taken care off.
Its chairman, Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed said besides aid and welfare, the foundation also helps its members by
securing them jobs and other benefits.
“Former sportsmen and sportswomen have a big impact on current athletes. If we fail to take care of our former athletes, our current batch will have doubts if they would also suffer the same fate with the national and state based associations when they retire.
“We need to avoid these sort of situations and that is why we want to bring these former athletes back into mainstream for them to be re-introduced and for their past contributions to be recognised,” he told reporters after a courtesy call on
State Youth and Sports Committee Chairman Soon Lip Chee at his office in Komtar, here, yesterday.
He also handed over RM5,000 in death benefit payment to Intan Mulyati Mansor, 39, the widow of former national footballer Abd Aziz Azizan, and a representative of former national hockey player, the late S B. Rajendran.
Noorul Ariffin said his courtesy call, among others, was also to seek the State Government’s help for former athletes to obtain housing, receive service awards and gain employment opportunities.
“Today, we have got the support from Yang Berhormat (Soon) to help not only on monetary terms, but for service awards, job opportunities or licences from the local authorities for them to get into business,”
he said.
“These athletes have also been enquiring whether they can have access to fields to conduct training. We hope for the state government’s consideration to allow us to use facilities such as stadiums once a week to train students and athletes,” he said.
Soon, meanwhile, said currently, the state government does not have a special fund to assist former athletes, but he added that he will suggest to the State Executive Council that a special committee be set up to be placed under the purview of the Penang Sports Council.
“Perhaps the State Government and the private sector can chanel funds through this committee… together we can help our
former athletes,” Soon said. – Bernama
