KUALA LUMPUR: Cyclist Azizul Hasni Awang and shuttler Tan Boon Heong revisited their vows to make a breakthrough in the Olympic Games after being chosen as the special ones to benefit from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) scholarship.
Yesterday, Azizul, Boon Heong and three others – badminton’s Koo Kien Keat and Lee Chong Wei and athletics’ P. Yuvaraaj – were named as the recipients of the scholarship to help athletes qualify for the 2012 London Games and win honours for their countries.
They will each receive US$1,000 monthly until they qualify for the Games.
On top of that, their national associations will be given US$5,000 to help fund the athletes’ training programmes and competitions.
Azizul said that he had put behind the painful episode at the recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi to continue a pursuit for excellence in cycling.
Azizul finished in first place in the keirin race, ahead of compatriot Josiah Ng, Azizul. But he was disqualified for making a dangerous sprinting move.
“To lose the gold medal in that manner in my first Commonwealth Games was painful. But I have erased it from my memory,” he said.
“I am all motivated again to achieve my ultimate goal, which is to win a gold medal for Malaysia in the Olympic.”
Boon Heong, who won the Commonwealth Games men’s doubles gold medal with Kien Keat, said that he would stay focused on his mission to win honours at the Olympics.
“This scholarship is a great incentive. It is a timely reminder to all of us of our Olympic dreams,” said Boon Heong.
“For now, my aim is to defend the men’s doubles title at the Guangzhou Asian Games. The draw is good and it is now up to us to give our best.”
Only Azizul and Boon Heong were present during a simple ceremony to announce the recipients of the scholarship under IOC Solidarity Programme at the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) yesterday
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