KUALA LUMPUR - The Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) today presented incentives totalling RM25,000 to the country's badminton players and coaches who achieved success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games recently.
National para badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou who won the SU5 (physical impairment) class gold medal in Tokyo received the highest amount of RM10,000 while men's doubles player Soh Wooi Yik received RM5,000 for winning the bronze medal in the men's doubles with his partner Aaron Chia.
Two coaches, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Wong Choong Hann and para badminton coach Datuk Rashid Sidek, received an incentive of RM3,000 each as appreciation for their effort in ensuring success in Tokyo.
KLBA president Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said the incentives were given to celebrate the success of the players and the officials involved who were former players who had been under the association's umbrella.
“We (KLBA) continue to be one of the main pillars of the national badminton governing body in providing quality new talents to the national badminton team.
"Liek Hou joined KLBA when he was 10 years old in 2000 while the talent of Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Wooi Yik was spotted by KLBA in 2008 when he was 10 years old," he said at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Badminton Athletes and Coaches Celebration ceremony at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara today.
An incentive of RM2,000 each was given to national women's singles player Soniia Cheah and women's doubles player Chow Mei Kuan.
“Soniia became part of the KLBA family in 2003 while Mei Kuan joined us in 2004. We are proud of the success of these KLBA-born talent,” added Jahaberdeen.
Meanwhile, he said KLBA would ensure BAM's long-term vision of wanting all affiliates to play a bigger role in producing more new talent would be achieved.
Collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Territories was ongoing to increase the number of badminton courts. It's one of the efforts to realise KLBA's aspiration to make badminton not only a healthy lifestyle culture in Kuala Lumpur but also a sport for the whole family, he said.
“KLBA will also launch the Finding Champions Project for a period of five years where we will work with the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Education Department whereby zonal training centres will be formed.
"The schools will be equipped with an education and coaching system on badminton, done with the hope of seeing these centres produce many young talents who will be polished to become champions in the future," he said. - Bernama, September 20, 2021
