S'pore badminton gets $1m boost for young talent
Singapore’s budding badminton players will get additional support to pursue their dreams, with the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) and local information technology-solutions firm JK Technology signing a memorandum of understanding on Jan 3.
The partnership will see JK Technology, through its non-profit arm JKTech Foundation, offer a scholarship programme for student-athletes at the secondary and pre-university level (between 12 and 17 years old).
The aim is to enhance the talent pipeline to the national team and reduce dropouts, and the foundation will also establish an elite badminton academy to provide quality training at affordable fees to young players.
Awards will be handed out to 10 student-athletes per year, with four spots reserved for those from the Singapore Sports School. JKTech Foundation will fund up to $100,000 per year for the 10 scholarship recipients to provide them with financial aid, funding for competitions and access to expert support, infrastructure and coaches.
The selection of student-athletes for the scholarship will be jointly conducted by SBA and the JKTech Foundation and will be evaluated yearly.
JK Technology executive director Eugene Ang said in a statement on Jan 3: “Through both the scholarship and the post-career gratuity programme, I want parents to see badminton as a viable career, that there are excellent institutional supports in place even before the athletes don the jerseys bearing the Singapore flag.
“It is important that we help to identify, nurture and ultimately channel young players into the national training system. I hope the new academy and the financial assistance can help SBA produce future world champions and Olympic medallists who will make Singapore proud.
Aside from committing $500,000 to SBA’s post-career gratuity programme, which focuses on providing financial security to national players post-retirement, JK Technology is also one of the Singapore Badminton Open’s biggest supporters. Since 2006, the company has contributed more than $500,000 in cash and kind to the tournament.
SBA secretary general Collin Tham said: “This initiative allows SBA to better deploy its limited resources and to sharpen its focus on elite athlete development in preparation for the major Games and top-tier international competitions.
“We are grateful that JK Tech can essentially help to bookend our efforts through this new programme that nurtures young talents, complementing the post-competition career initiative.”
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