With Malaysians hoping the elusive Olympic gold medal will be delivered in London next month and in August, furniture company Three V Holdings has stepped forward with a RM1 million carrot for a Malaysian gold medal in addition to government incentives already on the table.
The million ringgit will be shared should there be more than one gold medallist and the prize money is just another incentive for Malaysian athletes when the Olympics begin on July 27.
Three V Holdings marketing manager Chin Song said the prize money was just a small contribution towards Malaysian sporting excellence.
“As a Malaysian company, we really want to give an incentive to our athletes at the Olympic Games to try to break our gold medal drought since 1956.
“This cash offer is to give them a boost and to raise their spirits to achieve every athlete’s dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. The government has already pledged RM1 million and we, as a company, just want to do what we can,” said Chin after presenting the company’s sponsorship to Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil here yesterday.
Ahmad Shabery thanked Three V Holdings for its generous offer and hoped the incentive would spur national athletes to success in London.
The incentive is on top of the national sports incentive scheme of RM1 million for a gold medal, RM300,000 for a silver medal and RM100,000 for a bronze medal won at the Olympics.
Following Heidi Gan’s qualification for the women’s open water swimming, 29 athletes have secured qualification spots for London in nine sports and disciplines.
Wildcard participation can also be expected in swimming and athletics, taking the number of Malaysian athletes to more than 30 at the final count.
Ahmad Shabery hoped more private companies would follow Three V Holdings’ lead and contribute to the national Olympic contingent in either cash or kind.
“Three V Holdings’ cash offer is a unique contribution to the Malaysian Olympic effort,” said Ahmad Shabery.
“Their contribution should be emulated by others as this is a good move in supporting our athletes.
“Perhaps if two or three more companies stepped forward, we will have a larger pool of incentives to offer our athletes. This would be a good sign from the private sector.”
Should no athlete win gold in London, Three V Holdings’ offer will roll forward to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.
