BWF World Tour Super 500
“PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by DAIHATSU”
Date:7th – 12th, January 2020
Venue:Axiata Arena (Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia)
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DAIHATSU & PERODUA EXTEND MALAYSIA MASTERS SPONSORSHIP TO 2021
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DAIHATSU and PERODUA Malaysia have given a major boost to the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU by extending its sponsorship commitment towards the prestigious tournament for another two years till 2021.
The 2020 edition of the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU marks a major milestone as it will enter its third consecutive year since it was first staged in 2018.
The 2020 international badminton season starts off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the staging of the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament from 7th to 12th January 2020 at Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia.
The tournament is expected to draw world-class shuttlers to the courts of Axiata Arena in pursuit of their best possible results to cement their standings in the world ranking list.
Besides offering a total prize money of USD$400,000, the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by DAIHATSU also serves as an important battleground for players seeking to gain valuable points to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The home fans will be looking forward to strong performances from the Malaysian badminton stars following a credible showing in the 2019 edition by the men’s doubles pair of GOH V Shem and TAN Wee Kiong, who made their way to the finals before bowing out to the Indonesian pair of Marcus GIDEON and Kevin SANJAYA.
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PRESS CONFERENCE REPORT
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A Press Conference to announce DAIHATSU and PERODUA’s sponsorship for the 2020 tournament was held on November 20th in Kuala Lumpur. It was widely attended by members of the local media as well players, badminton officials, stakeholders and guests.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Datuk Seri MOHAMAD NORZA Zakaria and Secretary-General Datuk Kenny GOH represented the association while DAIHATSU and PERODUA were represented by Dato’ ZAINAL ABIDIN Ahmad, PERODUA President & Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Ichiro OTAKI, General Manager, Marketing & Sales Promotion Dept., Overseas Business Management Div., Badminton Project, CSR Dept., Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd respectively.
Dato’ ZAINAL ABIDIN, meanwhile, looks forward to witnessing world-class action in Kuala Lumpur, adding that the company is incredibly passionate about developing badminton at the grassroots level. He said: “PERODUA strives to be a catalyst for change and fully embraces innovation to help youth grow in the sport. The successful completion of the second year of our BADMINTON TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, saw 2,800 school children in action and along with the world-class broadcast coverage of the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by DAIHATSU, I’m quite certain that these events will propel our youth to showcase their sporting potential even more.”
Mr. OTAKI, in his speech, reiterated DAIHATSU’s strong passion about badminton and reaffirmed their commitment to develop badminton as a competitive sport in Malaysia.
“Badminton is the heart and soul of our business, and we are committed to playing a key part in building a strong foundation and providing a competitive and friendly tournament structure in Malaysia. We have organised three tournaments for youth around the region and we are here to foster international friendship for the sport to continue to blossom,” said he.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Datuk Seri MOHAMAD NORZA believes the participation of top world-class shuttlers would greatly increase the profile of the tournament. “We are delighted to have the world’s best badminton players taking part in the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU 2020. This definitely raises the bar in terms of the level of competition and elevates the stature of the event. We are confident that their participation will raise even greater awareness and excitement for fans around the world,” said Datuk Seri MOHAMAD NORZA.
Malaysian mixed doubles star GOH Liu Ying and social media icon, singer and comedian LUQMANUL Hakim or better known as LUQMAN Podolski, were also introduced as ambassadors of the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU via a brief video presentation at the Press Conference.
Also present at the occasion were Malaysia’s top singles player LEE Zii Jia, doubles pair of CHOW Mei Kuan and LEE Meng Yean and YAP Cheng Wen.
If the results of the past two tournaments were anything to go by, local fans can expect a great treat of world-class badminton extravaganza from both the home shuttlers as well as other leading contenders who will be looking forward to start their 2020 campaign on a high.
PLAYERS’ COMMENT
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LEE Zii Jia
(Men’s Singles)
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What are your thoughts on this tournament? Being the first tournament of the year, the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU is extremely important to all players. We’re gunning for as many points as we can to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, so it’s crucial that we perform to expectations and get good results.
Preparation The last few months have been hectic for me but in the coming two weeks, it will be even more intensive as preparation goes into the final stretch. I can’t afford to lose focus.
Target I managed to get into the quarterfinals in 2019. Of course, the target will be higher this time around. Hopefully, I can make it to the semi-finals.
Message to the fans? I hope fans and the public in general will come to Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil in big numbers. We need your strong support and loud cheers to help us through!
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CHOW Mei Kuan
(Women’s Doubles)
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What are your thoughts on this tournament? Of course, it’s going be every exciting but at the same, it’s crucial for us to deliver the results. It’s going to be tough as the best of the best will be here with the same mission, towards Olympic qualification. I guarantee our fans that with their strong support, Meng Yean and I will give our all.
Preparation Our training has been intensive and we’ve been working hard the past few weeks to ensure we are in top form. Mentally, we simply need to stay focused on our goals.
Target At this point of time, we’ll take things easily, one at a time. Of course, I’m hoping that we can do better than last year.
Message to the fans? A big thank to our fans for all your support and strong words of encouragement. We hope they will turn up in droves to support us during the competition.
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LEE Meng yean
(Women’s Doubles)
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What are your thoughts on this tournament? The PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS Presented by DAIHATSU is special as it is the first tournament of the year. So, we can expect the level of competition to be extremely high. I’m sure it will be exciting especially for the fans.
Preparation been working really hard the entire year to improve our all-round skills to be fully prepared for the tournament as 2020 is the year of the Olympic Games and we want to do our best.
Target Quarterfinals! We’re are very determined to make it to the last eight this time.
Message to the fans? To all fans and spectators, book your tickets early and please come to Axiata Arena in big numbers! We really look forward to your support to lift our spirits and hopes!
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YAP Cheng Wen
(Women’s Doubles)
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What are your thoughts on this tournament? It’s going to be amazing as this is the first tournament of the BWF World Tour series. Definitely exciting as all top players will be here.
Preparation We’ve been training consistently and working hard to strengthen our game and eliminate our weaknesses.
Target To play my level best.
Message to the fans? Come over to Axiata Arena and give your loudest cheers to the players!
GOH Liu Ying raring for action in PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020
Presented by DAIHATSU
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Excitement is building up as fans eagerly await the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by Daihatsu which will take place on the second week of January 2020 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. Local mixed doubles darling GOH Liu Ying and partner CHAN Peng Soon will again be relied upon to deliver the goods in front of the home fans. With the Olympic Games around the corner, GOH and CHAN are delighted to once again be part of the PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by Daihatsu despite the immense pressure to produce the desired results.
Compared to the first two editions, the 2020 tournament will be more significant, being the first tournament of the BWF 2020 calendar. “We are targeting a strong result as this will be the year of the Olympics. Of course, the pressure to deliver will always be there, but come what may, we are fully prepared and ready to overcome all obstacles!” said GOH.
The PERODUA MALAYSIA MASTERS 2020 Presented by DAIHATSU has achieved its status as one of the more prestigious tournaments in the BWF calendar and will surely attract many top players to Kuala Lumpur. “We’re truly honoured to be part of this great tournament once again and we look forward to the loud cheers and support from our fans and the global badminton fraternity,” said GOH.
