Peng Soon-Liu Ying need at least RM200,000 each
CYBERJAYA: National mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon- Goh Liu Ying need a budget of at least RM200,000 each in the effort to seek the qualification ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The costs would be incurred by taking part in international championships under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) including in other continents to gather qualification points to the Olympic Games.
Liu Ying said she and her partner, Peng Soon who were the winners of the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games were still in the midst of discussions with potential sponsors but had not arrived at a decision after opting to leave the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) recently.
“We will do our best to qualify for the Olympics, but the biggest problem we are facing now is looking for sponsors to participate in championships.
“We need at least RM200,000 each because we will not only be participating in championships in Asia.
“There are also championships in Europe such as in England, Denmark and Germany which will (each) incur a cost of RM20,000 to RM30,000 a person. We hope we can settle this matter,” she told reporters after helping the Puchong United Badminton Club (BC) beat Kepong BC 11-8 a the 2018/19 Purple League SS competition here on Friday.
Liu Ying, who was paired with Hong Kong import player, Tang Chun Man who won the bronze medal at the World Championship in August beat Mohd Arif Abdul Latif-Cheah Yee See 3-1 (11-4, 8-11, 11-10, 11-4), to simultaneously ensure the defending champions Puchong United BC stayed at the top of the chart.
Asked on the aid they hoped for from the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), the 29-year-old player from Melaka said a training court was the most pressing need currently.
“Currently, we are still playing at BAM, but after the notice with BAM ends (on Jan 1) we don’t know what it would be like as we have not received any information, I hope KBS can help in this matter,” she said.
The pair which is 13th in the world currently, would begin the 2019 season by participating in the Thailand Masters from Jan 8-13, followed by Malaysian Masters (Jan 15-20) and Indonesian Masters (Jan 22-27). — Bernama