Earlier today, Liek Hou posted that he and his coach would be travelling to Brazil for a tournament at their own expense.

He said the tournament had no prize money, unlike “abled” tournaments.

However, Faizal clarified that the Brazil Para Badminton International 2022 was not one of the seven tournaments Liek Hou had been targeted to compete in.

“Liek Hou decided to compete after receiving sponsorship offers from an outside party.

“However, the sponsor withdrew at the last minute and therefore he had to bear the costs on his own,” he told FMT.

Faizal added that Liek Hou and his coach would be releasing a statement on the matter soon.

Liek Hou’s post had prompted netizens to criticise the government, taking issue with the treatment the Paralympian was allegedly receiving from the youth and sports ministry after he had won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics last year.

Instagram user mfakhrul_f7 said even with a Paralympic gold medal, Liek Hou was being treated unfairly.

Another user, justinalwaleed questioned: “Shouldn’t the ministry or other government agencies bear the cost?”