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Gold medal winners are awarded lifetime free airfare, while silver and bronze medalists receive free flights for 5 and 3 years, respectively. Athletes also receive special gold, silver, and bronze BIG membership cards allowing them to fly to over 120 destinations within AirAsia and AirAsia X's extensive network across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Also attending the event were AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, AirAsia X Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia Behard CEO Aireen Omar, AirAsia X Berhad CEO Benyamin Ismail, and CEOs of AirAsia's national branches, as well as government officials and sports officials from ASEAN member countries.
AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said: "Once again, ASEAN athletes have brought pride to the region by demonstrating that they are truly serious and formidable competitors on the international stage. And I am honored to award these outstanding athletes free air tickets as a recognition of their great contributions."
"Athletes with disabilities also show us the boundless fighting spirit of humanity, demonstrating that all obstacles can be overcome with willpower, determination, and dedicated training. They have become an inspiration for the region and for the whole world."
AirAsia Berhad CEO Aireen Omar said: "I am delighted with the outstanding achievements of the Malaysian athletes. Mohamad Ridzuan and Mohamad Puzi won the first Paralympic gold medal, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli broke the world record and won the silver medal, and Abdul Latif Romly won the bronze medal and broke the world record for the third time. They have raised the bar and standards for athletes and athletes with disabilities ahead of the next season in Tokyo in 2020."
AirAsia Thailand CEO Tassapon Bijleveld stated, "The Thai Paralympic team had a fantastic performance in Rio and brought home the most medals of all ASEAN countries. This is a truly admirable achievement, especially with the track and field and boccia athletes leading the team's performance. As AirAsia's branch closest to Indochina, I would also like to congratulate athlete Le Van Cong for breaking the world record in weightlifting and bringing home Vietnam's first Paralympic gold medal."
AirAsia Indonesia CEO Dendy Kurniawan said, "Ni Nengah Widiasih's medal shows the great progress Indonesian sports have made in recent years. In London in 2012, we won our first medal in 20 years, and we have maintained that achievement this time. I believe Indonesia will soon win a gold medal in the near future."
AirAsia Philippines CEO Captain Dexter Comendador also emphasized, "I am extremely proud of paddler Josephine Medina for bringing home a medal for the Philippines after 16 years without any outstanding achievements for the sports delegation at the Paralympics, just like the success of Hidilyn Diaz last month. The Philippines has performed well in the recent competitions and I believe this will be the beginning of many new successes to come for Philippine sports in the future."
