November 03, 2009 20:05 PM

Imran Laments Lack Of Corporate Support For Junior Sports Talent

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Oct (Bernama) -- The SportExcel foundation on Tuesday presented grants totalling RM47,000 to 33 young talents despite facing sponsorship woes.

SportExcel chairman Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar said the foundation, which had run two programmes, Junior Circuit and Athlete Assistance, since 1992, had suffered from the withdrawal of several charter members.

"Recently, we had four companies withdrawing as our charter members. We find this very distressing as there seems to be no solid reason why the public-listed companies or subsidiaries should even consider this," he said at the presentation ceremony held at the Royal Selangor Club in Bukit Kiara here.

Tunku Imran, who is also president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, said charter membership in SportExcel only cost a company an annual tax-exempt contribution of RM15,000 over three years.

"This is 'peanuts' when you consider that the companies make millions annually. Is SportExcel not suitable for their corporate social responsibility?" he said.

The 33 recipients, aged between 10 and 17, comprised eight junior athletes from golf, six from tenpin bowling, five each for cricket and swimming, three (squash), two (tennis) and one each from cycling, men's artistic gymnastics, women's artistic gymnastics and gymrama.

Those aged between 10 and 11 received RM1,000 each while the rest got RM1,500 each.

-- BERNAMA

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