Eight sportsmen and sportswomen of the year collected the cash prizes that were promised to them when they won, between 1966 and 1982.
The ninth, high jumper Gladys Chai, joined the Malaysia Athletics (MA) awards ceremony in a prerecorded video call from Germany where she now lives, saying she was “very touched” by the appreciation shown to those who had contributed to the country.
Each recipient received the RM5,000 prize promised at the time of their award. Four athletes who had won the national honour twice received RM10,000.
Present at the event was the Olympic Council of Malaysia president Norza Zakaria.
FMT’s reporting last year had put the matter back into view, its sustained coverage pushing the story into the open and helping create momentum.
Noorul Ariffin, the former chairman of the national athletes’ welfare foundation (Yakeb) said: “It is fair to say that the public scrutiny changed the conversation, and associations began to act. Tonight, athletics finished its part.
“This was not a trophy night. It was a repair. The payments fulfilled an obligation and restored dignity.”
Noorul had helped move the issue along after a plea on behalf of race walker V Subramaniam, but it followed the wider pressure that grew from reporting and public discussion.
“Journalism put the issue where it could be fixed,” added Noorul.
A long-delayed promise
Between 1966 and 1982, track and field dominated the national awards, with 13 sportsman or sportswoman of the year titles given.
Many winners said officials at the time had promised payment only on retirement, while others said they received no explanation.
Some were told that funds had been channelled to associations for development. Paper trails were thin, but memories remained.
The men and women on stage last night carried names with weight in Malaysian sport.
They were sprinters Dr Mani Jegathesan (1966), M Rajamani (1966, 1967), Junaidah Aman (1971, 1972), Rabuan Pit (1980, 1982) and Marina Chin (1976, 1977), walk icons Khoo Chong Beng (1975) and Subramaniam (1978), all-rounder Zaiton Othman (1982), and Gladys (1973).
The legends came from an era when support was modest and pride was everything. For them, the cash was practical but the larger return was symbolic.
The gesture was a message: you are not forgotten.
Younger athletes were also recognised for breaking records over the past two years while awards for outstanding coaches and appreciation certificates were given as well.
Momentum from reporting
The chain of events began when FMT reported that multiple winners across different sports had never received their promised RM5,000.
The story drew attention. Cycling, hockey, badminton and bowling made amends.
Last night’s ceremony brought athletics into line.
Speakers kept their remarks short. MA’s secretary-general Nurhayati Karim framed the night this way: “We honour the past with respect, we support the present with conviction, and we prepare the future with wisdom and care.”
Her words set the tone: measured, restorative and forward-looking.
Several recipients said they were deeply touched by personal visits from MA officials in recent weeks, which mattered almost as much as the cheques themselves.
A handshake, a conversation and a name spoken aloud with thanks. No grand claims followed the handovers. No sweeping apologies. The event traded fanfare for quiet closure.
The presence of former coaches, family members and welfare advocates underscored the communal nature of the moment.
It showed how attention, persistence and goodwill could combine to correct past oversights.
The payments will not fix every failure of the past or rewrite histories where the administration faltered.
But they did something simpler and just as vital: they closed an open chapter – a gesture that mattered to those who had given the nation their best.
Rajamani, Rabuan and Zaiton told FMT that they appreciated the event.
“We received the money that was due to us, and I would like to donate some to those in need,” said Rajamani, who received RM10,000.
Rabuan said he was deeply touched as the event honoured the contributions of sportsmen and women to the country.
As the room emptied, Subramaniam summed it all up: “We ran for Malaysia. Tonight, the nation ran with us at the finish.”