The Star Online > Sports Friday September 3, 2010 Pandelela receives RM20,000 for winning two silver medals By LIM TEIK HUAT KUALA LUMPUR: There was a pleasant surprise for diver Pandelela Rinong on the eve of her departure for China to join her team-mates in centralised training for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games. The 17-year-old Sarawakian re**cei*ved a special reward of RM20,000 last night for bagging two silver medals in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last month. The Youth Olympic Games are not listed in the National Sports Council (NSC) incentive scheme but Pandelela was nevertheless rewarded for her performances in finishing behind Chinese diver Liu Jiao in the 3m springboard and 10m platform finals. Pandelela was the only Malaysian medal winner at the Games and picking up the bonus reward will only spur her to achieve more glory for the country in her debut in the Commonwealth Games next month. Pandelela, who will be leaving with coach Huang Qiang for China today, has been tentatively entered for four disciplines in the New Delhi Games. Besides her pet individual and synchronised 10m platform events, she will also compete in the 3m springboard disciplines. A country can field three divers for individual events and two pairs for synchronised disciplines. But whether she will compete in all four events will depend much on her recovery from a neck injury, which she suffered before leaving for the Youth Olympics. “I have a few events in mind but the 10m platform disciplines will be my main focus,” said Pandelela. “No Malaysian woman has won a Commonwealth Games diving medal and it will be great for me to achieve it. I have a good chance in the 10m platform synchronised event with Leong Mun Yee as we finished better than the rest of the divers from the Commonwealth at the world championships in Rome last year.” Pandelela partnered Mun Yee to a bronze in Rome and it was the first medal for Malaysia in world championship aquatics. She finished fifth in the individual event and it was the best ever effort by a Malaysian female diver. Pandelela plans to use the money she earned from her efforts in the Youth Olympics to help her family in Sarawak. “It’s a pleasant surprise to get this reward as I was not sure whether I was getting anything in the first place,” she said. “I was told to delay going to China because I was invited to take part in the oath ceremony during the National Day celebrations two days ago.” Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek also presented cash rewards to athletes from six other sports – squash, badminton, netball, bowling, bodybuilding and Paralympics. Mohd Azlan Iskandar earned the biggest amount of RM45,000 for his performances in the Asian squash championships in Chennai in May. He won the individual gold medal by beating Ong Beng Hee in the final and helped the team to a silver. Shuttlers Ow Yao Han and Yew Hong Kheng pocketed RM20,000 each for the boy’s doubles gold medal in the world junior championships in Mexico. The duo collected an additional RM2,000 each as members of the bronze medal-winning mixed team. Top national men’s pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong shared RM10,000 for finishing as runners-up in the world championships in Paris last week. http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2010/9/3/sports/6971120.asp&sec=sports No, is not wrong thread/forum, badminton also in the list. Too bad Loh WS got injured, if not he would have won YOG medal too. Total for Ow/Yew as WJC champ = RM22,000 each. Nelson Heg/Teo EY as WJC silver = RM12,000 each. Other juniors = RM2,000 each for WJC Team Bronze
Kim Hock willing to hit the road to find new talent “I am ready to go to the states if the BAM want me to look into their junior programmes. It is important for the responsible authority at the lower level to be excited too,” he said. “We are all aware of the lack of talent making their way up to the elite level. “If the states can improve on their tasks to supply talent, then the national elite and junior departments can focus on raising the standard of the players with specific programmes and exposure without having to worry on the material. “It’s all about every sector complementing one another.” “They (the clubs and academies) are business ventures to make money but they also strike a balance with their genuine interest to promote the sport. They provide a platform for youngsters to learn the basics of the game,” he said. On the BJSS programme, Kim Hock said that it was on the right track. “The return of Zhou Kejian (from China) will further strengthen the coaching staff. He will be focusing on training the Form 1 students,” he said. “Our goal in BJSS is still the same – to churn out Asian and world junior champions. It is important to know the right way of managing these young players because they are bombarded with so many distractions nowadays.” http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/12/13/sports/7609917&sec=sports hopefully we will have a few more ajc and wjc winner in 2011
I thought MAS already got those local tournaments for kids such as MSSM and Sukma? Anyway, more tournaments = more exposure for the kids... kudos to the organizer... BOLEH
The Star Online > Sports Tuesday December 14, 2010 Soon Kit gets special recognition for launch of Coronar Open By RAJES PAUL KUALA LUMPUR: Former doubles badminton ace Cheah Soon Kit received pecks on the cheeks from Tun Dr Siti Hasmah yesterday. It was a special recognition for his initiative to launch one of the country’s biggest junior championships, the Coronar Open, and also for his bold efforts to source for a RM1mil funding for his junior programme. The inaugural championships, which offer good prize money for all 14 categories of competition, including the Under-10, Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 age-groups, started yesterday at the Arena Stadium Titiwangsa here. All for the juniors: (From left) Cheah Soon Kit, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and Datuk Eng Chip Jin, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Visiber Sdn Bhd, posing with a mock cheque yesterday. — UU BAN / The Star Soon Kit’s effort was timely with the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) plan to create more age-group junior tournaments next year to strengthen their grassroots development programmes and to create a broader base of players at the lower level. Soon Kit is the sports ambassador of Coronar Sports, a subsidiary company of Coronar group of companies. He also takes charge of a regimented junior training programme and currently has eight players between the ages of 16 and 20 in an elite squad and about 20 juniors under his wings. He is among several former internationals, who are determined to raise the standard of the junior players to check the current situation of a lack of talent coming through the ranks for the national team. Siti Hasmah, who was the BAM’s patron during the period when Malaysia won the Thomas Cup in 1992 with Soon Kit as a member of the team, graced the launch of the opening day of the junior tournament yesterday. Several former Malaysian badminton greats, among them Datuk Punch Gunalan, Tan Aik Mong, Foo Kok Keong, Rashid Sidek and Razif Sidek, were also present to throw in their support. They witnessed the RM1mil cheque presentation from Visiber Sdn Bhd and acknowledged it as a big boost to the country’s junior programmes. Siti Hasmah said that Soon Kit’s contribution back to society by working closely with potential future stars for the country was exemplary. “There is a saying that we can throw a stone anywhere in China and Indonesia and it will hit a badminton player,” she said. “We have a smaller population and so this initiative by Soon Kit and many other clubs and academies to promote the sport to younger players is the way to go. “I am happy to see the corporate sectors coming in strongly to support junior programmes. These efforts will do good for the BAM and the sport.” Soon Kit said that he wanted to play his part by churning out good players for the country. “We are currently lacking in junior tournaments. These competitions will provide platforms for new stars to emerge,” he said. “It will also help raise the interest of the general public in badminton and re-ignite the enthusiasm of players from all ages.” Soon Kit has other big plans. If the Coronar Open proved to be a success, he plans to work together with the BAM to host a Malaysian international junior championships. The BAM secretary, Ng Chin Chai, who was also present at the function yesterday, said: “We are open to the private sector, former players and clubs doing their part in promoting the sport. “It will be good for grassroots development. We are supportive of their ventures. “It will be better with more people playing the sport.” http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2010/12/14/sports/7614505.asp&sec=sports I was wondering why CSK has been keeping quiet these few months, so he's into this now. SUKMA only 2 years once lah Jimbo, MSSM and 100 Plus Junior tournaments only once a year
With these private initiatives, remembered there was a similar one reported last week by Looi Badminton Academy, hopefully we will not only unearth new talents to win WJC, but also to win the senior level tournaments
I am suppose to play in this tournament, but not free leh. Only next week. Anyway, what happen to KLRC? All of a sudden, I don't see much of their logo anymore.
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/12/16/sports/7628670&sec=sports Chance for juniors to shine in Perak Open KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will be the crowd puller in the Perak Open, which begins today at Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh. But he is also hoping that some of the youngsters will start earning respect from the fans. In his presence, there is no doubt that the same script and same outcome would be written in the men’s singles competition but Chong Wei has challenged the younger players to step up. “I hope they will not make my job to win the Perak Open an easy one. I hope to see stronger performances from them,” he said. If Chong Wei wins, he will extend his unbeaten run in domestic tournaments to nine years. It will also seal a place for him in the National Grand Prix Finals, which will be held in Kuala Terengganu from Feb 16-19. “The singles department is short of talent. This is the chance for new faces to stamp their marks. I hope that they will not make me wait too long,” he said. Chong Wei is expected to slow down in the sport after the 2012 London Olympics and Malaysia have less than two years to find reliable and able replacements. In the same half of the draw as Chong Wei in the Perak Open are Zulfadli Zulkifli, Chan Kwong Beng, Lim Fang Yang, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Misbun Ramdan Misbun. National back-up shuttler Tan Chun Seang, who was expected to take on Fang Yang in the second round, has pulled out because he has not recovered from a foot injury. The other half of the draw has second seed Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Liew Daren, Chong Wei Feng, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin and Mohd Syawal Ismail. And Hafiz may be an easier target for the youngsters. National singles coach Rashid Sidek hopes that none of the elite back-up shuttlers – Daren, Wei Feng and Kwong Beng – would fall victim to the juniors. “I hope they will give the top players a run for their money. But they will put themselves under tremendous pressure if they lose to juniors,” he said. “I am also looking at new faces emerging with strong performances to do Malaysian badminton some good. It is good to see that the men’s singles competition drawing 128 entries.” As for junior coach Hendrawan, who is in charge of Arif, Fang Yang, Iskandar, Syawal and Misbun, the Perak Open will be a platform to see where they stand against the top players. “I have a higher expectations on Arif. He is the player with the most experience in the junior side and time is running out on him to justify himself,” said Hendrawan. In the absence of Wong Mew Choo, all eyes will be on Lydia Cheah in the women’s singles. But Lydia has been so inconsistent lately and it will not be a surprise if she loses to any one of the six players inn the competition. In fact, her youngster sister, Sonia, and Yang Li Lian, who will be joining the national squad after completing their final paper in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations today, are certainly the dark horses to win. It will be an open race in the men’s doubles with the coaches splitting up the top pair, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, and pairing them up with Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Hoon Thien How respectively. In the women’s doubles events, the pair to beat are the senior-junior partnership of Chin Eei Hui-Lai Pei Jing. The favourites for the mixed doubles are Asian championship (ABC) winners Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying.
Is this the same Arif who is the same batch with Chen Long of China? If that's the case, Arif is still a .... errr..... JUNIOR? still BOLEH?
Juniors playing in Division 2 for National GP. Division 1 for elit & back up. I seen those who're 19 y.o. playing for Divsion 2 but these are mostly ex BJSS, no longer train full time. Some started off in Division 2 so must continue 2nd leg in Division 2(Tan Wee Tat, Goh Sze Onn, Loh Wei Sheng). Some like Zulfadli already go up Division 1 since 17 y.o.