Planting the seeds of success

Talk about great timing! The speed merchants in the Malaysian track cycling team featuring the pocketrocketman Azizulhasni Awang have obtained a much coveted sponsorship from the government linked giant Sime Darby, through its foundation Yayasan Sime Darby, days after taking the Beijing meet by storm. The plantation giant's media invite came about a few days before Azizulhasni bagged the keirin gold at the World Cup classic in Beijing on Saturday.

Keirin Title A Pre-Wedding Gift For Fiancee, Says Mohd Azizulhasni

SEPANG, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- National track cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang's gold in the keirin event at the World Cup Classic in Beijing, China, last Saturday, was a wedding gift for his fiancee, Athiah Ilyana Abdul Samat.

The wedding will be this Saturday.

Azizulhasni said Athiah had been asking for him to win a gold as her wedding gift.

"I promised to win the gold as a wedding gift for her and am glad that I did and also be able to wear the white jersey," he told reporters on arrival at the KL International Airport on Monday.

The Terengganu lad said the victory had made him more determined to win the keirin event at the World Track championship in Denmark in March.

"I will give my best and will not disappoint the Malaysian people and others who are hoping to see me succeed," he added.

He regarded the win in Beijing as his biggest victory after failing to win two previous titles at the Track Cycling World Cup circuits in Manchester and Melbourne recently.

--BERNAMA

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Yayasan Sime Darby To Help Malaysian Cyclists Win A Medal At The 2012 London Olympics


Kuala Lumpur, 26 January 2010: Winning a medal at the Olympics has long been the dream of the country and her sportsmen and sportswomen.

This dream could be achieved again in 2012 when the Malaysian cycling team, which has world class riders in Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and Josiah Ng, competes in the London Olympics.

To help Mohd Azizulhasni, Josiah Ng and other cyclists realise this goal, Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) has come forward to help them participate in several world cycling events prior to the 2012 London Olympics.

These world class events, to be held in 2010 and 2011, include the World Cup Classics, Continental Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Championship.

YSD, in partnership with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF), will allocate RM2 million over the next 34 months to help, among others, defray travelling costs, competition and directors’ fees, allowances, accommodation and apparels.

Besides Mohd Azizulhasni and Josiah Ng, other cyclists to benefit from this sponsorship include Mohd Rizal Tisin, Muhammad Edrus Md Yunos, Junaidi Nasir, Mohamad Hafiz Mohamed Sufian and Fatehah Mustapa.

Today, YSD and MNCF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the initiative to produce Malaysia’s first medal winners in cycling at the London Olympics. A mock cheque presentation was also held in conjunction with the signing of the MOU.

YSD was represented at the signing ceremony by its Chairman, YABhg Tun Musa Hitam, while MNCF by its Deputy President and Chairman of the Track Cycling Committee, Datuk Naim Mohamad. Also present were YSD Council Members; Director General of National Sports Council, Dato’ Zolkples Embong; and Head Coach of the Malaysian Cycling Team, John Beasley.

Tun Musa, in his speech, said YSD supports the initiative to help Malaysian cyclists develop their full potential to be world beaters as well as to help them realise their dream of winning their first Olympics medal in cycling.

“We believe Malaysian cyclists have a very real opportunity to win their first Olympics medal for the country based on their fine performance in several world cycling events. We hope our sponsorship will spur them to achieve greater heights in world cycling.”

Tun Musa added that YSD, as part of its Youth Sports and Recreation Pillar, has already been involved in raising the standards of lawn bowls and cricket in the country.

“YSD, in line with Sime Darby’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, will always support sporting events that benefit the country and society. It will make available the resources at its disposal to promote and raise the quality of sports in Malaysia,” he noted.

Datuk Naim thanked YSD for the sponsorship which will prove beneficial in preparing national cyclists for the 2012 London Olympics.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to YSD for this timely contribution. We are honoured that MNCF was chosen by YSD to be one of its partners in sports, and our association with the Sime Darby Group will only spur us to achieve greater success.”

At the signing ceremony, seven Malaysian cyclists were presented with tracksuits to be used during international cycling events.