Just earlier today, Tony Fernandes of AirAsia made an announcement on his official Facebook page.
In order to honour the hardworking athletes who stood on a world stage and triumphed to earn a gold, Tony has agreed to give all 5 Asean gold medallists of the recent Olympic games free flights for life.
This means that Vietnam’ shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh, Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling, Indonesian badminton pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliana Natsir and Thai weightlifters Sopita Tanasan and Sukanya Srisurat are all eligible for the free flights.
He also reshared a picture of Pandelela Rinong and Dato’ Lee Chong Wei a few days ago, with these heartfelt words.
According to the New Strait Times Online, the silver and bronze medallists need not feel left out, as Air Asia is planning on rewarding the 10 Asean silver medallists with free flights for the next five years, while the three bronze winners will receive free flights for the next three years. What a relief that our hardworking Malaysian athletes will be able to enjoy some of the rewards too.
It’s a nice gesture to recognise the hardworking athletes from our region, particularly since they’ve devoted so much of their time and energy to making their countries proud. This is also a great PR move on Air Asia’s part, as it can only foster goodwill towards them.
Feature Image Credit: Compiled from aseankorea.org and Tony Fernandes Facebook
