Yesterday, he hosted a dinner for the team that won nine medals, including a gold, at the French Karate International Open recently.

Tan also presented them with a cheque for RM20,000 to settle their debt with a local travel agency which had allowed them to “travel first, pay later”.

“We are indeed grateful to Berjaya Corporation founder Vincent Tan for this gesture,” said Thivashini Krish Dhev Nair, the spokesman for the private team.

She said Tan also gave them some great advice that made them feel proud of their achievement.

“This will spur our highly motivated team to do better and bring more honours to Malaysia in the international sports arena.”

Thivashini also thanked MIC for its RM10,000 contribution, and others who had faith in them by giving whatever they could.

Tan came to the aid of the cash-strapped team after reading about its success and the debt it had incurred in making the trip, following a FMT report.

The contribution is from his personal charity organisation, Better Malaysia Foundation (BMF).

At the French Karate International Open on May 8, the nine members of the team, from the International Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Sei-bu-kan Karate Do Association of Malaysia, brought home a medal each, including what is believed to be the country’s first gold in a global karate meet.

It was earlier reported that the group faced difficulty in raising funds to take part in the competition because it was not affiliated with the Malaysian Karate Federation, the governing body of the sport in the country.