SINGAPORE — Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) has recently received a timely boost with two major sponsors, Karim Family Foundation (KFF) and JK Technology, pledging a total of $1.1 million. KFF has pledged $600,000 over the next three years to help national players train and compete while JK Technology has committed $500,000 towards supporting the SBA’s newly introduced post-career gratuity programme.
KFF and JK Technology are also sponsors for the upcoming Singapore Badminton Open, which will be held from June 6 to June 11 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The Singapore national badminton players are currently in Cambodia for the SEA Games where they have won bronze in the men’s and women’s team events.
The men’s team lost 3-1 to Indonesia in the semi-finals, while the women’s team went down by the same scoreline to Thailand in the semi-finals too.
Most of these players including Loh Kean Yew, and Yeo Jia Min will no longer participate in the SEA Games as they will travel to China for the Sudirman Cup (May 14 to 21). Singapore has been drawn in Group A alongside hosts China, Denmark and Egypt.
Loh expressed his gratitude to the sponsors for helping the players.
“It’s very heartwarming to see corporate sponsors come in to support the sport, in terms of player development and a post-career plan. With all these initiatives, it will give players the assurance and encouragement to continue to pursue the sport and perform,” said Loh who expressed his gratitude to all the sponsors and supporters.
The KFF, established by Indonesian tycoon Bachtiar Karim and his wife Dewi Sukwanto, is dedicated to philanthropy with a focus on sports development, arts and culture, mental health, and education. In 2021, the foundation donated $200,000 to local favourite Loh following his historic BWF World Championship win.
“We are very enthusiastic and excited to support our local players in their future development in the sport over the next few years. KFF believes that investing in players is a crucial step towards building a strong and sustainable future for badminton in Singapore. We hope to reduce the financial worry that many sportsmen and sportswomen in Singapore have as they chase their dreams by giving them the required support, enabling opportunities for them to compete at the highest level and bring glory to Singapore on the world stage,” said Cindy Karim, KFF’s principal.
Meanwhile, SBA’s newly introduced post-career gratuity programme will be supported by JK Tecknology’s half-a-million-dollar sponsorship. As part of the programme, SBA will set funds aside to be disbursed as a gratuity to eligible athletes at the end of their playing career. The gratuity amount is pegged to an athlete’s best ranking during their career and the time they represented Singapore in the sport, with payouts ranging from $16,000 to $100,000.
“This is a very important initiative because one of the reasons we have identified why players have dropped out and are not considering their full career development is because they worry about not having the financial means when they eventually end their playing career. With this fund we are setting up, players can play badminton with a peace of mind, to focus and excel in the game,” said Eugene Ang, the managing director of JK Technology, who was one of five local businesspersons who raised $50,000 for Loh after his BWF World Championship victory.
SBA chief executive officer Alan Ow said that he is grateful for the generous contributions from KFF and JK Technology and he feels that their sponsorship will play a vital role in supporting the development of our national badminton players and aiding their financial future through the post-career gratuity program.
“This is a significant step towards achieving our goals of building a sustainable and thriving badminton ecosystem in Singapore. We look forward to working closely with our partners to create opportunities for our players to excel internationally,” said Ow.