Apacs sponsorship a boon for doubles specialist Wee Kiong
PETALING JAYA: Rio Olympics silver medallists Tan Wee Kiong and Goh V Shem will reunite to play in the World Championships in Huelva, Spain, from Dec 12-19.
Despite going separate ways, the former world No. 1 duo have agreed to make their fifth appearance together after making the 48-pair cut based on the list of qualifiers released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Sept 21.
“Yes, V Shem and I are going for the world meet,” confirmed a buoyant Wee Kiong, after landing a twoyear sponsorship deal with Apacs Sports (M) Sdn Bhd on Sunday.
“It shouldn’t be much of a problem for us to prepare, we just need to find the time to fit each other’s training and tournament schedules.”
Last month, Wee Kiong and V Shem announced their seven-year partnership split to seek a fresh challenge with new partners for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wee Kiong has teamed up with Tan Kian Meng while V Shem joined forces with Low Juan Shen.
Wee Kiong will also play in the mixed doubles with Vivian Hoo.
The Apacs sponsorship has certainly come as a huge relief for Wee Kiong as he can now look forward to returning to the forthcoming tournaments in Europe with peace of mind.
While his partners Kian Meng and Vivian are backed by Victor and Protech respectively, Wee Kiong was left to look for one sponsor until he struck a deal with Apacs on Sunday.
“I would like to thank Apacs for their support. I couldn’t be more grateful to secure this sponsorship during this tough time,” said Wee Kiong.
“I can’t wait to get started again in Europe next month. Hopefully, I can put on a good show and repay Apacs’ faith in me.”
Wee Kiong and Kian Meng are set for at least two of the four tournaments in Europe, namely the Dutch Open from Oct 13-17 and Hylo Open in Germany (Nov 2-7).
They have also entered their names for the Denmark Open (Oct 19-24) and French Open (Oct 26-31), but are more likely to make the cut in the latter as they are currently placed first in the reserve list.