Don't spoil new badminton champion with money
Don't spoil new badminton champion with money
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur
What will new badminton hero Muhammad Hafiz Hashim get from the government for becoming the first Malaysian in 37 years to win the All-England championships?
Nothing, according to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who Monday said the player must not be corrupted with monetary or other awards that would distract him and cause his performance to slide.
Mahathir said he was "thankful and very happy indeed" that Muhammad Hafiz became the first Malaysian in 37 years to win the prestigious All-England championships.
"Now I would like to request everybody not to spoil him. You've seen what we have done to our previous champions because we spoiled them," the veteran premier said.
"I hope the states would not give five acres of land, money worth one million after that (he) could no longer play badminton. They keep seeing land...money, land...money, millions, they can no longer play."
The unseeded 20-year-old Malaysian already pocketed 10,000 dollars for defeating top-seeded titleholder Chen Hong from China 17-14, 15-10 in just 53 minutes at the championship in Birmingham on Sunday.
It followed his achievement in winning the Commonwealth Games title in Manchester in August. The last Malaysian to win the All- England men's singles title was Tan Aik Huang in 1966.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia has promised to reward Muhammad Hafiz for his win.
National badminton players previously received various incentives, including land and money, after winning major tournaments but critics said it made them complacent.
Hashim caused one of the biggest shocks in the 104-year history of the All-England championships when he upset the top- seeded titleholder Chen Hong to win the men's singles title.
It completed what had already been a remarkable tournament for the 20-year-old from Kelentan, who had previously beaten two other seeds and now avenged his elder brother Muhammad Roslin Hashim's defeat in the semi-finals the day before.
"This is a revenge for my brother's loss and my next target is to win he world championships," said Hafiz.
Malaysian coach Yap Kim Hock, a former All-England finalist, added: "The All-England means a tremendous amount to us. This is a huge thing for Malaysian badminton."