KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today announced that the local convenience store, 99 Speedmart, is the official partner for the upcoming Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the partnership is valued at RM 1.2 million and will be used to cover the players’ necessities during the tournament.
“99 Speedmart has been a great help to our confederation, and we are delighted with the support shown by private companies in recognising the importance and progress of the sport.
“We hope that our partnership can endure, and we aspire to achieve success together.
“Through this partnership, I hope more private companies will also express interest to invest in hockey,” Subahan mentioned during a press conference at the national hockey stadium today.
Subahan further revealed that MHC has devised plans to raise awareness for the sport to attract more fans to the stadium to watch the tournament.
“In the middle of October, we will host a street activation event for hockey in Putrajaya.
“Our goal is to entice the public to come and support the junior Speedy Tigers, and we will decide next month whether we will charge a ticket price for the tournament,” Subahan added.
At the same time, Yong Eng Kwang, the director of branch operations at 99 Speedmart, expressed his belief that the partnership between his company and MHC will draw the attention of more parties to support local sports.
“As entrepreneurs who run local businesses, we are called upon to sponsor local sports, and as many are aware, hockey is a high-class sport.
“We hope that this sponsorship can help maintain the high level that hockey currently enjoys.
“Our business philosophy revolves around caring for the local community, and this collaboration will not end here because we intend to continue supporting hockey players by offering them employment opportunities at 99 Speedmart in the future,” Eng Kwang said.
The 13th edition of the Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to 16. The junior Speedy Tigers are placed in Pool A alongside defending champions Argentina, Australia, and Chile.
Malaysia’s best performance in the tournament came in the 2013 edition in New Delhi, India, where they finished fourth out of 16 teams. – September 22, 2023