Malaysia Cup faces axe as organizers struggle for sponsorship
Official says lack of local squash competition will hurt country’s prospects at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) — While more countries are ramping up efforts to host squash tournaments ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Malaysia is struggling to raise funds to stage competitions, reports Timesport.
This comes as a surprise for a nation that has produced an eight-time world champion in Nicol David, along with several top-10 players including S. Sivasangari, Low Wee Wern, Ong Beng Hee, Azlan Iskandar and Ng Eain Yow.
Timesport has learnt that the Malaysia Cup, a PSA Tour Bronze-level event scheduled to take place in Damansara from Aug 17-23, may be scrapped this year unless organisers ACE Sports and Management can secure sponsorship.
Squash is one of Malaysia’s core sports, and with world No. 9 Sivasangari and world No. 12 Eain Yow expected to qualify for LA 28, the lack of support has raised eyebrows.
ACE Sports and Management director R.A. Thiagaraja said they needed 1.5 million Malaysian ringgit ($354,462) to run the tournament.
“In 2023, we spent 1.5 million Malaysian ringgit ($354,462) on the event. The government only gave us 300,000 Malaysian ringgit ($70,892) and that was for all squash tournaments. Last year alone, it cost us 3 million Malaysian ringgit — 1.5 million to organise and another 1.5 million for the glass court.
“This year, we spent 550,000 Malaysian ringgit ($129,919) on eight men’s and women’s Satellite circuits to help juniors.
“We went through SRAM (Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia) to approach the government, but no help came.”
Thiagaraja stressed the importance of the Malaysia Cup in providing exposure for players such as Eain Yow, Sivasangari, Rachel Arnold, sisters Aira and Aifa Azman, Ainaa Amani, Sanjay Jeeva, C. Ameeshenraj and Yasshmita Jadish Kumar.
“It inspires fans and up-and-coming players to watch their idols live. Last year, the event attracted 3.3 million TV viewers from 56 countries.
“When we held the Malaysia Cup in 2023, Malaysia had 29 professionals. Today, we have over 100 pro players — a promising sign. But without a local tournament, our players lose a vital opportunity to compete at home — a major blow ahead of LA 28.
“Many countries have started hosting tournaments after squash was included in the Olympics,” he said.
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