KUALA LUMPUR – National oil and gas firm Petronas through its subsidiary Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB) today inked a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) – the biggest yet for the sporting body since it was established.
This was revealed by BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria in a press conference after the signing ceremony with Petronas at the BAM academy today.
“This is earth-shattering news for BAM, in a good way. Petronas’s involvement with badminton has elevated our stature to a world-class level with Petronas as a global brand and has been the pride of the nation.
“The timing of this sponsorship is perfect as we are currently preparing for a series of major competitions including the 2022 SEA Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, the Thomas and Uber Cup as well as the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Norza said.
Petronas’s support is expected to help enhance the training and preparation of the national players, especially in the run-up to the Olympics, as well as contribute to BAM’s overall development programmes.
As part of the sponsorship deal, it also appears that BAM players will be donning a new national team jersey with Petronas’s logo, beginning at the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2022 that is taking place on March 16-20.
Norza added that the deal will not only inspire the association to produce more world champions, but it will also motivate the players to wear the new team jersey with pride when they compete in future tournaments.
More importantly, it is expected to further boost the performance of players and the development of Malaysian badminton industry.
In the same event, PDB managing director and chief executive officer Azrul Osman Rani said the sponsorship is in kind and monetary value. He, however, stopped short at disclosing the deal’s worth.
“It is such a great honour to get our brand associated with another strong and popular brand that is BAM. In many ways, a lot of us are connected to the joy of badminton.
“I think this is a wonderful opportunity for Petronas to give back to the nation and we hope to inspire everyone to further propel badminton towards greatness and excellence,” said Azrul.
PDB entered into the agreement as BAM’s official fuel partner. Its sponsorship includes fuel and lubricants supply along with other Mesra products such as mineral water and hand sanitisers. – The Vibes, March 4, 2022
