Written By : Sandru
PETALING JAYA: The proposal to give an appropriate reward to national shot putter Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli after he was disqualified at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics is inappropriate as “a failure is a failure”.
Former National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Zolkples Embong said the unfortunate incident encountered by Ziyad, who broke the world record, should be taken as a lesson.
He said that if the reward proposal was accepted, it would have a negative impact in the future should a similar incident arise.
According to Berita Harian, Zolkples also said it would negate the conditions enshrined in the NSC’s National Sports Incentives Scheme.
“Basically, Ziyad, in this case, was classified as Did Not Start (DNS) despite participating in protest. However, in the end, it (his performance) was rejected and he failed. So, how can we deny that he failed?
“There are those who want to take advantage of this situation, supposedly to gain sympathy. I’m sympathetic, too. If you want to mention the sentimental value, I was the one who started bringing in Ziyad when I was NSC’s director-general.
“Ziyad’s success started in the 2012 London Paralympics. At that time, I was the contingent leader and he won a bronze medal,” he told Berita Harian Sports.
Zolkples said the proposed monetary reward would be better used to help people in distress amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said it would be a different story if there were people who wanted to donate from their own pockets. However, the money from the incentives scheme should not be touched as there was no provision that allowed Ziyad to receive this reward.
“What is important is to not start (giving the reward) because later, if there are more cases like this happening, it will be chaotic. Rules are meant to be followed and not broken.
“In any competition, there are rules and SOPs that need to be followed. If you’re in the wrong, accept it and move on.
“After all, Ziyad has received many incentives before. He has accepted the retirement scheme, this scheme is for life and he has received it since 2016,” he said.
Previously, the youth and sports ministry announced that it would table a proposal to the Cabinet on an appropriate reward for Ziyad in appreciation of his achievement.
The minister, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, said they never expected or took into consideration a disqualification when drawing up the policy of rewarding athletes who achieved success in multi-sports games.
Former youth and sports minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican also gave his support and said Ziyad deserved to be considered for the incentives scheme for his record-breaking performance.
