KUALA LUMPUR – The Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) is set to organise Malaysia’s first youth international tournament in September next year.
The tournament will be called The Punch Open and will be divided into three categories – Under-12, Under-15, and the Under-18.
Its president Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said The Punch Open will be a tribute to the late Datuk Punch Gunalan who was one of the country’s greatest badminton players.
“This tournament has been in the pipeline for the last five years, and we hope to kick it off next year,” he said at the press conference after the launch of Projek Jejak Juara by Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin today.
Jahaberdeen, however, added that the tournament is still subject to the approval by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
Gunalan was one of the early greats of Malaysian badminton.
He created history when he and his partner, Ng Boon Bee, contributed the first men’s doubles gold medal for the country at the 1970 Commonwealth Games and won the men’s singles at the Asian Games in Bangkok the same year.
They went on to make Malaysia proud when they won the All-England Championship the following year.
At the 1974 Commonwealth Games, Gunalan won the men's singles and won a bronze medal in doubles. He was named Malaysian Sportsman of the Year in both 1969 and 1974.
After he hung his racquet, Gunalan coached and led the national squad to glory at the 1992 Thomas Cup in Kuala Lumpur. – The Vibes, August 22, 2022
