By Yong Soo Heong
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9: The Yang diPertuan Agong Al Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Bilah Shah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandriah today held more than 200 veteran sportsmen, sportswomen, sports officials and sports journalists spellbound with their warmth and approachability at a function to celebrate Malaysia’s former sporting greats for their contributions to the country.
Their Majesties were the guests of honour at the event known as the Sports Flame Gala, which was also billed as the ‘biggest reunion of sporting legends” as it included several sports officials and coaches who reigned supreme in sporting glory in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
Some of the veteran athletes who attended included sprinters Tan Sri Dr Mani Jegathesan, Datuk Marina Chin and Datuk Mumtaz Jaafar; shuttlers Datuk Yew Cheng Hoe, Datuk Sylvia Ng and Datuk James Selvaraj; footballer Datuk Santokh Singh; hockey player-cum-coach Datuk R. Yogeswaran; local rugby maestro Ng Peng Kong; and motorcycling champ Sonny Soh.
The King, in his brief remarks, said he was touched to see many sporting legends in their 70s and 80s turning up for the function, and some even came on wheelchairs.
He said although he had learnt of the feats of many who were present today, he had not had the opportunity to meet them personally before.
Both the King and Queen also went to every table to meet the guests and posed for pictures.
The King also paid tribute to the sports journalists who had covered him while he helmed several sports organisations in the past for their constructive comments about his leadership, which he said had helped to mould him to be a better person today.
He also told the guests to prioritise their health and cherish their families and friends as they age gracefully.
Their Majesties also sang several songs at the gathering in which they also improvised some of the lyrics to show inclusivity with the attendees.
The Queen started off with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way’ and followed it with Kris Dayanti’s “Menghitung Hari”.
The King then sang two Bee Gees’ numbers, “To Love Somebody” and “How Deep is Your Love”.
Both their majesties rounded off the event with a popular Hindi classic, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”. (Something is Happening) to the delight of everyone present.
The Sports Flame Gala is an initiative by four veteran sports journalists — Richard Velu, Datuk George Das, Datuk Lazarus Rokk and Datuk Fauzi Omar — that began in 2011. The quarter described the event as giving back the years of joy they had writing about their role models in sports.
Today’s edition, the eighth in the annual series after the Covid-19 pandemic, was supported by a news portal, FMT, led by its managing director, Azeem Abu Bakar.
WE