KUALA LUMPUR—Roslin Hashim is not only vocal about the issues facing Malaysian badminton, but the former world number one player also wants to show that he can back up his words by actively engaging at the grassroots level to discover new badminton talent for the country.
Since establishing the Roslin Hashim Badminton Academy (RHBA) in 2016, he has been dedicated to developing young players, particularly amid growing concerns about the scarcity of emerging badminton stars.
Roslin’s academy recently gained the patronage of Raja Saidatul Mardiah Sultan Idris A’fifullah, daughter of the late Sultan Idris A’fifullah, the 33rd Sultan of Perak.
Despite his reputation and past achievements, Roslin acknowledges the difficulty in attracting private investment for his academy.
Therefore, he hopes that the royal endorsement will further strengthen RHBA’s appeal to potential sponsors.
“While this academy was established as my source of livelihood, its primary goal is to nurture players for Malaysia. For me, if one day any players from my academy succeed in representing the country and achieving success at the highest level, it would be another milestone in my career.
“I want people to say, ‘Oh, this player is a product of the RHBA academy.’
“Now, with Raja Saidatul Mardiah as the patron of my academy, I believe it will further elevate the academy, strengthening the RHBA brand and allowing us to reach greater heights,” said Roslin.
The academy, based in Puncak Alam, Selangor, has five coaches training around 100 players aged 4 to 17.
Recently, Roslin took on the challenge of recruiting a promising 13-year-old player from Sandakan, Sabah.
“It was a bold move because it wasn’t easy for me to convince his parents to entrust him to me, not only to train him to become a successful player but also to take care of him.
“I truly believe he has the potential to go far, despite being just 13 years old, his style reflects that he has been playing badminton for a long time. I have also arranged for his school transfer, and he now lives with me,” he added. — October 27, 2024