KUALA LUMPUR – The late Datuk Punch Gunalan was honoured by the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA), in an appreciation ceremony to commemorate the badminton great at Titiwangsa Stadium, here today.
The simple ceremony was attended by the legend’s widow, Datin P. Vijeyakumari, and son, Dr G. Roshan.
“We held this event today to honour the memory of Datuk Punch as he was a former KLBA president himself. His contribution to badminton in Malaysia stands out above all.
“His two gold and one bronze medals at the Bangkok Asian Games are widely known among fans.
“His contributions from the administrative side of things are also highly valuable, whether it be at KLBA, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), or the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“All of this makes us feel that it is appropriate to give the highest appreciation to our legend,” KLBA president Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said.
Vijeyakumari was moved by the event organised by the KLBA.
“I’m really grateful to KLBA for holding this occasion today. It’s very touching for me,” she said as her voice broke, holding back tears.
“I think the players need a lot of help to bring them up and train them.
“There are a lot of them playing, but are they all exposed to competition? Are there people there to help them improve their game?”
Gunalan was a decorated badminton player for Malaysia, excelling in both singles and doubles.
In the early 70s, he and partner Ng Boon Bee became the leading men’s doubles team in the world.
They captured gold at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games, where Gunalan also won in singles and added a bronze in the men’s team event. They also won the All-England the following year.
His burning passion for badminton continued after retiring from the court, as he took up administrative positions at the state level with KLBA, BAM, and the International Badminton Federation (now BWF).
He, along with then BAM president, the late Tan Sri Elyas Omar, was also the team manager of the 1992 Thomas Cup squad that defeated Indonesia to bring the trophy to Malaysia.
Punch passed away at the age of 68 on August 15, 2012. – November 5, 2023