Three-year gymnastics development programme to nurture future talents for Olympics 2020 and other global championships
Kuala Lumpur – CIMB Foundation (“the Foundation”) today announced its partnership with the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (“MGF”) to nurture young Malaysian talents in gymnastics, through the CIMB-MGF Gymnastics Development Programme. The three-year programme will groom talents as young as four years old into world-class gymnasts, also as part of efforts to qualify for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The CIMB-MGF Gymnastics Development Programme was launched by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Najib Razak; witnessed by Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, Chairman of CIMB Group; Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz; Group CEO, CIMB Group; Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof, Chairman of CIMB Foundation; and Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin, CEO of CIMB Foundation in conjunction with CIMB’s International Women’s Day celebration.
Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin, Chief Executive Officer, CIMB Foundation said, “We are delighted to partner with MGF on our very first female-centric sports development programme, in line with the Foundation’s focus on sustainable projects with lasting impact on our beneficiaries. Sports has a huge potential to empower women and girls, providing a platform for them to also shine alongside their male counterparts, hence promoting gender equality and a more balanced society. We have developed world champions through the CIMB Junior Squash Development Programme, and we are confident of replicating this success in gymnastics by providing these young female athletes with the platform to also be nurtured into world-class athletes.”
CIMB Foundation’s Junior Squash Development Programme has seen female athletes like Sivasangari Subramaniam, Aifa Azman, Aira Azman and K.Sehveetrraa shine as world-class champions at the recent 2018 British Junior Open. The aim of the CIMB-MGF Gymnastics Development Programme is to similarly develop talents into champions such as national gymnast and multi-gold medallist who has been groomed by MGF and garnered 13 gold medals at the recent Sea Games.. CIMB Foundation will support MGF’s efforts in providing world class coaches, training camps, and exposure to global sporting events.
During the event, CIMB Foundation also launched its inaugural CIMB Squash Academic Scholarship. The Foundation awarded two of its foundation-supported squash athletes, Sivasangari Subramaniam and Ng Eain Yow with full 3-year scholarships worth a total of RM1.5 million for undergraduate studies to secure their commitment to Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia, National Sports Council of Malaysia and the country while fulfilling their academic ambitions.
