Petronas Donates Badminton Equipment To Three Schools In Sabah’s Interior

TAMBUNAN, Dec 22 (Bernama)  – Three secondary schools in Sabah’s interior recently received tournament-grade badminton equipment from PETRONAS as part of the PETRONAS Malaysia Open initiative.

The contribution aimed to nurture budding talent, promote sportsmanship and empower young athletes in communities with limited resources.

The handover ceremony took place at Dewan Masyarakat Tambunan here, where the equipment—including 32 tubes of shuttlecocks, 30 racquets and 15 badminton nets—were presented to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tambunan, SMK Nabawan and SMK Sepulot.

The students from these schools also took part in a one-day badminton workshop, where they had the chance to refine their skills and learn new techniques, guided by Associate Professor Dr Mohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali Wazir, a senior lecturer in the Sports Science Unit at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Guinefvye Anak Henri, 17, from SMK Nabawan, shared that although she had previously owned a racquet, its quality was lacking.

She added, “During the workshop, I learned proper badminton techniques such as serving, backhand, net play and more.”

With the new equipment, Guinefvye said she is motivated to work harder, remain disciplined in her badminton journey, and aspires to become a role model for her juniors.

Dale Ryan Romanus from SMK Tambunan remarked, “This is a fantastic opportunity, especially for players like us from rural areas. With PETRONAS’ contribution, we can now train more effectively and focus on improving our skills.”

Although he has no plans to pursue a professional career in badminton, the 17-year-old aims to continue playing the sport to stay fit.

Marcius Bijulin, 17, from SMK Sepulot, said that it was rare for him to use tournament-grade equipment.

He thanked PETRONAS for the contribution and the workshop, saying, “We travelled nearly 100 kilometres to get here and had the chance to learn various badminton techniques.”

PETRONAS Sabah and Labuan Regional Office General Manager Siti Ayu Abdul Wahab hoped that the students would seize this opportunity to enhance their badminton skills and ignite their passion for the sport.

She shared, “Hopefully, one day, some of you will become successors to our badminton hero, Datuk Lee Chong Wei.”

The initiative, she added, was a testament to PETRONAS’ commitment to nurturing young talents.

In 2022, PETRONAS and its subsidiary, PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad, signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Badminton Association of Malaysia, forming a partnership that is expected to further boost the performance of Malaysian badminton.

During the PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2024 held at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, in January this year, PETRONAS launched a campaign, pledging RM1 for every visitor who came to the company’s booth at the venue.

Proceeds from the campaign were then utilised to contribute badminton equipment to selected schools in Sabah, Sarawak, as well as in the east coast, southern and northern regions in the peninsula.

-- BERNAMA