KUALA LUMPUR – Former national mixed doubles shuttler Chan Peng Soon’s CPS Academy and property developers BT Bina Group Sdn Bhd have inked a sponsorship deal for grassroots development worth RM200,000.
The sponsorship deal is for one year with an option for another if all parties agree to continue.
BT Bina CEO Datuk Seri David Tan said that the group has identified badminton as a sport that is very popular amongst all walks of life.
However, he said that talented youngsters are lacking guidance so that is why they have decided to work with CPS Academy.
“We hope that with this funding CPS Academy can unearth young talent who will have the potential to represent the country one day.
“Today is a proud moment for the group for being able to provide support to CPS academy and hopefully in the future we can provide more support to other academies,” said Tan at a press conference, here today.
Peng Soon, who along with partner Goh Liu Ying won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said the funding helps to subsidise coaching sessions for young players who may otherwise not be able to afford it.
“The cost to hire a badminton coach can be steep, and the salary for good coaches is expensive.
“If you spend RM200 you may get one coaching session but with this sponsorship, you hopefully can get more sessions at the same price.
“We can also subsidise the salary of coaches, so the youngsters can have access to them to polish their skills further,” he said.
CPS Academy has branches in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and they are also opening a new centre in Johor in March.
The academy has seven full-time coaches in Penang with six in Kuala Lumpur.
Currently, they have 500 players training at their centres and they hope to add to that number in the near future. – January 19, 2024