Grooming grassroots talents into world-class athletes forms major part of CIMB’s CSR efforts
Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Foundation (“CIMB” or “the Foundation”) today announced that 33 of the athletes under its sports development programmes will represent Malaysia and compete in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games 2017 (SEA Games) on 19 - 30 August and ASEAN Para Games 2017 on 17 - 23 September. These athletes will participate in four different sports namely, squash (16 athletes), disability football (13 athletes), wheelchair basketball (3 athletes), and wheelchair rugby (1 athlete).
Nurtured as early as 2006, these athletes’ achievement in representing Malaysia in the 2017 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games underscores the Foundation’s long-standing commitment in developing young sporting talent in the country as part of its CSR efforts in nation building. With sports as one of its three core pillars, the Foundation financially supports programmes that develop grassroots talents through, among others, the CIMB Junior Squash Development Programme, CIMB Pan Disability Football Club, Wheelchair Basketball and Rugby Development Programme. Apart from the primary objective of nurturing young athletes to become national or regional champions, the Foundation also sees sports as a platform to encourage character building, promote inter-communal relations, and, in the case of the differently-abled, provide avenues to help them shine.
CEO of CIMB Foundation, Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin said, “We are extremely proud to see how the athletes supported by CIMB Foundation have risen to the challenge not only for themselves, but also for Malaysia in the upcoming SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games. The athletes’ remarkable determination to push boundaries and fulfil their true potential in their respective disciplines is a reflection of CIMB’s ethos. Seeing them shine and succeed provides us the impetus to continue using sports as a powerful catalyst that could change lives and forward their ambitions, in line with CIMB’s >FORWARD> brand promise. We wish them the best of luck in the upcoming games and look forward to their stellar performances. I am confident that they will make Malaysia proud.”
The CIMB Junior Squash Development Programme
Initiated in 2006, the programme which is fully funded by CIMB Foundation covers 800 girls and boys in six age groups from Under 9 to Under 19. 16 athletes will represent Malaysia in the upcoming SEA Games 2017 with an average between 16 to 23 years old.
Among the notable achievements to date are:
- SEA Games
- 1 Gold Medal Individual in Singapore SEA Games 2015 (Rachel Mae Arnold)
- 1 Gold Medal Individual in Singapore SEA Games 2016 (Sanjay Singh Chal)
- British Junior Open
- 2015 Champion Under-17 (Ng Eain Yow)
- 2016 Champion (Aifa Azman)
- World Junior Team Championship 2017
- Runner Up (Sivasangari A/P Subramaniam and Aifa Azman)
- World University Squash Championship 2017
- Mixed Team Champion (Sanjay Singh Chal)
- World Women’s Junior Team Championship
- Runner Up (Andrea Lee Jia Qi)
- SUKMA 2016
- Women's Individual Champion (Sivasangari A/P Subramaniam)
CIMB Pan Disability Football Club
The team started in 2010 for recreation purposes before they were placed under the CIMB Pan Disability Football Club (“the Club”) in 2013 when the National Sports Council announced that Blind Football would compete in the 2014 ASEAN Para Games, Myanmar. The club’s training programme is fully funded by CIMB Foundation and organised by the National Sports Council. The team is currently ranked first in ASEAN, fifth in ASIA, number 17 in the world, and consist of 13 players (11 outfield players ranging from 18 to 24 years old and 2 sighted goalkeepers, age 33 and 38 respectively) who will compete in the 2017 ASEAN Para Games.
Among the team’s notable achievements are:
- 2015 ASEAN Para Games (Gold Medal)
- 2016 India International Open Championships (Champions)
Wheelchair Basketball & Rugby Development Programme
The programme started in 2015 in collaboration with Cinta Sayang Wheelchair Basketball Club & Amour Wheelchair Rugby Club. The team consists of 3 players for wheelchair basketball and 1 player for wheelchair rugby.
To date, the team has won:
- 2015 Bali WB Tri Nations (1st Runner-Up)
- 2016 & 2015 Bali WR 4’s (Champion)
