SOURCES: THE STAR

The foresight in investing in youth development has yielded substantial dividends for Malaysian sports, with eight talents nurtured by Sportexcel set to compete at the Paris Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games from July 26 to Aug 11 will feature eight athletes who have emerged from junior sports development programmes organised by Sime Darby Sportexcel. Several of them will also be making their Olympic debuts.

Izzah, who is from Kedah, made history as the first Malaysian cyclist to secure gold in the women's 500m time trial event at the 2022 Asian Championships in New Delhi and will be the first Malaysian woman to compete in both keirin and sprint events at the Olympics.She was part of the YSD-SE sponsored Track Cycling Series in 2023 and 2024.

Tunku Tan Sri Imran ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar, the founder and chairman of Sportexcel, extended his best wishes to all Malaysian athletes as well as to their respective National Sports Associations (NSA), sponsors, coaches, parents, and all those who have contributed to nurturing the athletes' development. "Sportexcel is delighted to have played a small part in facilitating their Olympic dream," said Tunku.

By HANISI TAN - July 25, 2024