LOOKING forward to greater success, Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has pledged RM38,000 to the Penang Badminton Association (PBA) as seed funding to nurture more champions at the PBA’s 100th anniversary gala dinner tonight.
She said she is aware that PBA is ramping up efforts to develop more talents in the mould of Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei, including plans to establish a northern region badminton academy to complement the Badminton Malaysia Academy in Kuala Lumpur.
“We can work towards that project. This is a great initiative,” Yeoh said.
Commending PBA for its outstanding performance over the years, Yeoh said she recognises that the association relies on private sponsorships to sustain its programmes.
“As the Youth and Sports Minister, I want to plant seed money — a small grant — so that the ministry, too, plays a part in sowing the seeds of your next phase of growth. I am pledging RM38,000 for your next 100 years.
“I hope this seed money will help you continue to shine as a cradle of champions and a beacon of unity, serving as a source of pride for Penang and Malaysia.”
Yeoh also praised Penang for having rescued several girls’ events at the Sarawak Sukma last year by entering a team solely to meet the minimum requirement of six participating teams, preventing the events from being dropped. This also helped talented girls secure places at Bukit Jalil Sports School.
She added that the Sports Ministry has established a fund, the Dana Sukan Komuniti, which allows youth and sports clubs to apply for funding to organise local sports programmes.
This year’s data showed that out of 2,402 events applied for by states across Malaysia, 905, or 40 per cent, were for badminton at a cost of just RM950,000. By comparison, football attracted only 362 events, roughly one-third of the number for badminton, at a cost of RM3.6 million.
“So, it is cheaper for badminton. However, as parents, we encourage children to participate in any sport to help them develop their talents. Parents are the first investors, not the government, for any sportsman or sportswoman.”
Yeoh highlighted Malaysia’s recent achievements in badminton, noting that in the last two years, the country has six doubles pairs ranked in the world’s top 10, while women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah won their third title this year.
She further explained that Malaysia supports 103 different sports and that comparisons between badminton and football are not straightforward. “Every time you send a football team, you need at least 20 players per team. Malaysia currently has seven national football teams of various age groups, both men and women,” she said.
“I want to assure badminton fans. The Ministry of Finance has told us that in preparing the 2026 Budget, badminton has never failed to deliver Olympic medals for the country. Therefore, the Malaysian government will do everything possible to support badminton in Malaysia.”
She added that she is confident that Malaysia will continue to produce world-class players, with Penang serving as a breeding ground for future champions.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Siew Chia En