Malaysian athletes receive federal honours
Our national athletes are shining heroes who make us proud when they represent our country at global sporting events. Their medal wins are something we celebrate, along with their accomplishments.
On Tuesday, 8th February 2022, several notable athletes in Malaysia were conferred honorary titles and awards at the National Palace in recognition of their contributions to the country and sports. This includes Olympic diver, Leong Mun Yee, and Paralympian Abdul Latif Romly, who received Datukship titles.
Leong Mun Yee and Abdul Latif Romly receive Datukship titles
Image credit: @kwp.my
The 2022 Federal Territories Awards that took place at the National Palace on 8th February saw a total of 263 recipients from different fields such as politicians, civil servants, and entertainers.
It was a great day for several Malaysian athletes, who were also given titles. Former diver, Leong Mun Yee and Paralympian Abdul Latif Romly took the lead in sports, as they were both conferred a Knight Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW), or the ‘Datuk’ title, by Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Leong, who represented Malaysia in five Olympic Games, has won multiple gold medals in international sporting events, including 17 diving gold medals in the SEA Games. In 2012, she entered the Malaysian Book of Records for being the first female athlete to qualify for the Olympics four times.
Image credit: Berita Harian / Bernama
Meanwhile, Abdul, who is the current world record holder for the T20 long jump event, has won two gold medals in the Paralympic Games. He is the first para-athlete to be awarded the Sportsman of the Year at the National Sports Awards.
Other athletes awarded for their achievements
Image credit: @aaronchiatengfong
Apart from Leong and Abdul, several other talented Malaysian athletes were also recognised for their achievements. This includes men’s doubles badminton players Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik who were awarded the Kesatria Mahkota Wilayah (KMW) honour.
The pair won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which happens to be the only medal for Malaysia at the most recent Olympics.
Image credit: @kwp.my
Paralympian Mohd Ridzuan Mohd Puzi also received the Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown, or Johan Mahkota Wilayah (JMW), honour from Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The sprinter has won multiple gold medals in his career, including Malaysia’s first Paralympic gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympics.
Malaysian athletes given federal titles and awards
It’s truly exciting to see our athletes getting recognised for their achievements in sports. We’re sincerely thankful for their contributions to the country, and would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to all award recipients.
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Cover image adapted from: @PejaOfPerak, Berita Harian, and @aaronchiatengfong