KUALA LUMPUR: With the affect of budget cuts becoming increasingly apparent, Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is looking at ways to improve the welfare of athletes once they call time on their career in sports.
On Friday, Saddiq met with former national para cyclists Shukor Farhan Suliman and Mohd Nur Syafiq Suhaimy whose contracts were recently ended by the National Sports Council (NSC) due to a lack of results.
Shukor has since opened a guava stall to earn a living where he is assisted by Nur Syafiq.
Saddiq, however, made no mention of recalling the duo back to the national fold or providing direct assistance, instead highlighting his plans to improve athlete education.
"I met with Shukor and Nur Syafiq after my working visit to Hong Kong. NSC director general (Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail) and their coaches also attended the meeting to assist in finding a way to help them," said Saddiq in a statement.
"I listened to the explanations provided by all parties. A performance-based assessment was made by the committee and head coach, which is done every year.
"The Sports Ministry via NSC, will look at improving the welfare of athletes once they end their programmes with NSC.
"We will strengthen our initiatives with universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, (look at) provide scholarships in addition to making it easier for athletes to continue studying while training.
"At the end of last year, we managed to forge working relationships with two more universities, making it now seven in total. The target is to have one university (which allow flexibility for athletes) in each state by the end of the year.
"In addition to that, we are also studying the possibility of an insurance scheme for athletes, streamlined under the programmes run by NSC."
Farhan, a gold medallist at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games, is hoping former athletes who have done the nation proud will not be forgotten.
"I hope this discussion with the minister will help find a way to help me as well as in the future improve the welfare of other athletes who have already sacrificed a lot to do the nation proud," said the 23-year-old.
"Don't just discard them once they are not required."
Nur Syafiq, 27, suffered the misfortune of breaking his leg during an accident just a day prior to the start of the 2017 Asean Para Games.
NSC have in recent months tightened its spending across the board, scaling down programmes deemed unnecessary in addition to cutting back allowances for athletes, or as in the case of Farhan and Nur Syafiq, dropping them completely.