Fifty per-cent cut

19/06/2002

SPORTEXCEL yesterday announced their 2002 grants recipients and there was
a cut of 50 per cent in the number of athletes and the amount of money to
be handed out this year.
From a total of 16 athletes who received the SportExcel grant last year,
only eight were retained for this season and the amount was slashed from
RM100,000 to RM55,000.
And the biggest winner was budding golfer Ben Leong who received
RM20,000 while the other seven athletes received RM5,000 each.
"We set aside RM55,000 to assist eight deserving juniors in their quest
for sporting excellence as compared to RM100,000 last year.
"The 50 per cent reduction from last year was because we reviewed our
policy on funding athletes and decided to zoon in only on the very best,"
said SportExcel chairman Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja'afar.
The reduction means more funds can be invested on the SportExcel
circuits.
Ben Leong, currently pursuing his studies and golf at the David
Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida, was not around to receive his grant
but he will be back in Kuala Lumpur in August to play in the Asia Pacific
Junior Match-Play Championship to try and regain the title which he won in
2000.
"In this year's list we have five new recipients and they are 15-year-
old bowler Zandra Aziela Ibrahim, touted to don national colours by the
time she turns 18; squash talent Ivan Yuen, the Hong Kong Open Boys Under-
11 champion; Tennis potential Nor Zafirah Ahmad Taufek who has achieved an
ITF Under-18 world ranking at the age of 14 and budding swimmers Daniel
Wiliam Bego and Tania Lee Xu Yar," said Tunku Imran.
Retained from the 2001 list are kegler Aaron Kong Eng Chuan and budding
squash dynamite Low Wee Wern.
"Aaron is progressing well and Wee Wern had a remarkable year in 2001
when she won the Australian Junior Series and the Scottish Under-11 Junior
Open.
"The grapevine tells me that We Wern has a younger sister, who some
reckon could turn out to be better that her sister!," said Tunku Imran.
SportExcel has been nuturing world class athletes and hosehold names
like Shalin Zulkifli, Nicol David and Ong Beng Hee are among those who
graduated with honours with help from the foundation.
Arul is now playing with English side Sommerset and receives scholarship
from the clubside, so SportExcel has left him on his own after providing
the base for him.
RECIPIENTS: Ben Leong (Golf) RM20,000; Aaron Kong Eng Chuan (bowling)
RM5,000; Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi (bowling) RM5,000; Low Wee Wern
(squash) RM5,000; Ivan Yuen Chee Wern (squash) RM5,000; Nor Zafirah Ahmad
Taufek (tennis) RM5,000; Daniel William Bego (swimming) RM5,000; Tania Lee
Xu Yar (swimming) RM5,000.
(END)