The Allianz Junior Badminton Championship doles out special grants to groom future stars

The second Allianz Junior Badminton Championship (AJBC) Grand Finals reached its climax at Stadium Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, on 19 November 2023 with a total of eight winners in the U-15 and U-13 Boys and Girls categories consisting of Singles and Doubles.

Out of over 2,600 players that participated in the thrilling Qualifying Rounds, which included three more new rounds in Sabah, Sarawak and Pahang, only 183 made the cut for the AJBC Grand Finals. For the record, a total of four categories (boys’ singles, boys’ doubles, girls’ singles and girls’ doubles) were contested in the Under-13 and Under-15 age categories. The Qualifying Rounds were held in 10 locations across peninsula and East Malaysia between July and November.

After four days of intense competition, the U-13 category saw double winners in both Boys and Girls Singles and Doubles. Marcus Hang from SMK Tanah Puteh, Pahang took home the Boys Singles and Doubles titles with Teoh Chong Yee from Regent International School Kuantan while the Johor’s Low Zi Yu of SMJK Seg Hwa captured the Girls Singles title before returning to court to partner Auni Fatihin of SMK Kangkar Pulai to win the Girls Doubles category.

In the U-15 category, there were different champions in all categories - Tiew Yi Cheng, SMK Methodist Telok Datok for the Boys Singles and, Damien Ling, SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) and Ethan Oh, Sekolah Menengah Sri KDU for Boys Doubles while the Girls category saw Nur Aina Maisarah, SMK Sri Intan win the Singles title while Giovanna Koay, SMJK Perempuan China Pulau Pinang partnered Lee Joinne, SMJK Jit Sin for the Doubles title.

Allianz Malaysia announced today an allocation of an RM2,000 special grant for each of the winners for them to use to support their future competition expenses including entry fees, purchase of equipment, coaching and others. This grant is in addition to the RM1,000 prize money offered for AJBC Grand Finals winners.

Allianz Malaysia Berhad Chief Executive Officer Sean Wang said the high participation rate was an indication of the enormous interest for the sport amongst youngsters. “As AJBC does not charge entry fees, many more are able to compete, allowing new talent to be identified. In two years, AJBC has become an important platform for young players to prove themselves.

“This year’s competition was more intense than last year and it showcased the quality of young players we have in Malaysia. The larger pool of players augurs well for our objective of unearthing hidden gems in every corner of the country”.

He further added that the recent World Junior Championship showed us that there are no more traditional powerhouses like Malaysia, China, Indonesia or Indonesia. Many countries are closing the gap with the powerhouses and as a responsible corporate citizen, this is sort of a national service to identify future talents and assist our national body in having bigger group of players for selection.

AJBC 2023 is supported by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM).

To learn more about the Allianz Junior Badminton Championship, visit: https://www.allianz.com.my/personal/allianz-at-a-glance/activities-and-initiatives/allianz-junior-badminton-championship.html

This article is provided by Allianz Malaysia Berhad

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