AirAsia offers to transfer free flights gift to Joseph Schooling’s parents: CEO Tony Fernandes
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes (back row, fifth from left) with the Asean athletes who received free air travel on the airline after clinching medals in the Rio Olympics. Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore
REPORTING FROM BANGKOK
The parents of swimmer Joseph Schooling have been offered free flights on AirAsia until 2018 as Singapore’s Olympic hero is unable to receive the gift while he is still a student-athlete at the University of Texas, said the airline’s CEO Tony Fernandes.
Speaking to Yahoo Singapore at a ceremony in Bangkok on Thursday (8 September) to award free AirAsia flights to the Asean athletes who won medals at the Rio Olympics, Fernandes said the swimmer had made the request to let his parents Colin and May Schooling use his gift of free lifetime flights for now until he graduates.
Under the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the US, 21-year-old Joseph Schooling is not allowed to receive monetary awards or prizes from endorsements for taking part in events like the Olympics.
However, the rules do not apply to the $1 million cash award that Schooling received from the Singapore National Olympic Council for clinching the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal when he won the 100-metre butterfly event in Rio on 12 August.
Schooling was unable to attend the AirAsia event as he is in Texas to resume his studies and training after his return to Singapore to a hero’s welcome last month.
“He (Joseph Schooling) contacted us and asked if his parents are able to use it instead. We agreed and for now until he ends (his studies) in 2018, we will allow his parents to use the benefits,” said Fernandes, who praised Schooling’s inspirational performance in Rio.
In response to queries by Yahoo Singapore, May Schooling said she was thankful for the kind gesture by Fernandes.
“We appreciate his generosity very much. Joseph can’t accept it now because of his NCAA obligations and it was very magnanimous of Mr Fernandes to extend it to us. We hope to meet up with him one of these days as Joseph looks up to him because of his business acumen,” May Schooling said.
Joseph Schooling with his mother May and father Colin at Parliament. Photo: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo Singapore
Fernandes said he watched the 100-metre butterfly final and was thrilled that Joseph Schooling managed to beat American swimming legend Michael Phelps.
“All the while, we have seen Americans or Australians dominating the sport but Schooling was an inspiration. It was more inspiring for me when I saw a picture of Schooling and Michael Phelps on social media, which was taken when Schooling was a young boy,” said Fernandes.
The Malaysian entrepreneur, who is a huge sports fan, was at the ceremony to award the Olympic gold medalists from Asean a lifetime of free travel on AirAsia. The Olympic silver and bronze medalists from the region were given five and three years of free flights on the airline, respectively.
In total, 21 athletes from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia were awarded at the ceremony.
Fernandes stressed that the Asean athletes have proven that they were able to perform on the global stage, citing the example of Schooling and Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, who clinched the bronze medal in the keirin race in Rio.
“They are both the same. They went against the best professional athletes in their field who received millions of dollars to train. Yet they are able to show their worth,” said Fernandes.
