PETALING JAYA: The National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) today denied allegations that it neglected the welfare of former national swimmer Koh Lee Peng, leading him to sell small items and tissues in the Bukit Bintang area for survival.
Its chairman Datuk Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed said that the foundation had offered various forms of assistance to the seven-time gold medalist and three-time silver medalist at the Asean Para Games (APG) in 2018. However, some of the assistance was reportedly rejected by the 50-year-old former athlete.
"We did not neglect Lee Peng or other athletes under Yakeb. We assist them as much as we can. Today, we are taking Lee Peng for a health examination at the hospital and will continue to help him in the future.
"Previously, we also brought Lee Peng to meet with the Penang Sports Exco to obtain assistance for a kiosk in 2018, but it was rejected. The offer to become a coach for the Penang State Sports Council was also declined.
"After relocating to Kuala Lumpur in 2020 and starting a business in Pavilion, he also rejected offers to become a coach, and an offer for a kiosk was once again declined," he said after taking Lee Peng for a health check-up under the Yakeb special assistance scheme at Kota Damansara Thomson Hospital today (December 8).
He said that among the assistance that Lee Peng had received and agreed upon was the repair of a motorised wheelchair amounting to RM500 (2019), a Chinese New Year festive cash contribution of RM500 (last year), and a donation of sewing machine equipment for his business totalling RM3,000 (last year).
Meanwhile, Lee Peng explained that he had rejected the coaching offer because he was not willing to take the risk of coaching para-athletes, considering that he currently does not possess the same strength he had when he was a national para-athlete.
"What if suddenly the athlete faces difficulties? What would happen? That's what I'm thinking because my strength is not the same as before (when I was an athlete). Being a coach is a big responsibility, it's not easy," he said.
He also said that he was more comfortable finding his source of income by moving around in a wheelchair and selling small items and tissue packs in the capital.
Earlier, news about Lee Peng circulated on social media that Lee Peng was forced to sell small items and tissue packs in the Bukit Bintang area for his livelihood and purportedly received no assistance from anyone until now. --BERNAMA
