Wednesday May 2, 2007
Elyas impressed with academy
By Y.P. SIVAM
sivam@thestar.com.my
Photos by KAMAL SELLEHUDDIN
FORMER Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Elyas Omar has commended Datuk Lee Hwa Beng for initiating the Setia Badminton Academy in Setia Alam.
Elyas, who is also the Sports Commissioner, visited the academy that has 16 badminton courts with Taraflex flooring and two basketball courts. The basketball courts can also be converted into eight badminton courts with timber strip flooring. There is a small gym, too.
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Impressive: The taraflex flooring badminton courts in the academy.
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Elyas, who was the BAM president when Malaysia won the Thomas Cup in 1992, said he was impressed with the facilities available at the academy.
“I am a badminton enthusiast and the sport is close to my heart. I have always encouraged organisations or clubs to initiate programmes at the grassroots. The academy is something new and the facilities are impressive. After being briefed by Datuk Lee, I have to admit that the set-up is fantastic.
“I must congratulate SP Setia and Datuk Lee for their vision. Without a vision, dreams will not become reality. They have taken the first step towards realising their dreams. We hope to see players from this academy playing for the state and country,” said Elyas.
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Checking it out: Elyas (left) and Lee (second from left) trying the gym equipment at the academy. Looking on are SP Setia group human resources general manager Liew Siong Sing (second from right) and Han Jian (right).
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Lee, who is Setia Badminton Academy chairman, said the academy was established in 1997.
“Then we were based in Subang Jaya. But we felt it would be more feasible to have a hall of our own. Now we have a hall with excellent facilities. Our primary aim is to train players aged from seven to 15. They will be taught the basic skills.
“We strongly feel that mastering the basic skills is a necessity to become an accomplished badminton player,” said Lee.
Former China international Han Jian, the 1985 world champion and coach of the 1992 Malaysia Thomas Cup squad, is the chief coach. Six coaches from China, Indonesia and Malaysia are assisting Han Jian.
Besides the academy in Setia Alam, SP Setia has also set up centres in Malacca, Johor Baru, Muar and Klang. There are also plans to set up one in Penang soon.
Lee said there were currently about 300 players training at the various centres.
The courts are available to the public, too. For more information, call Abdul Latif at 012-324 8143.
