The SS Purple League (SSPL) 2016/17
is poised to erupt now that top players from home and abroad will be doing
battle with each other. With the presence of these big names it will surely
boost the quality and image of this league.
Despite being only in its third
edition, SSPL 2016/17 has attracted star players from 13 countries which
underlines the league’s status. Among the foreign players who have signed up
are Olympic champions Markis Kido of Indonesia, Korean international Lee Hyo
Jung and China's Zhao Yunlei.
Zhao, together with World No 1 Datuk
Wira Lee Chong Wei and Goh V Shem, will represent Petaling BC. Goh Liu Ying,
one-half of Malaysia’s Olympic silver medallists in the mixed doubles, and
Taiwan international Chou Tien Chen will turn out for Puchong United BC, while
Tan Boon Heong, Chan Peng Soon and Zulfadli Zukifli will display their talent
for Johor side, Muar BC. Just the
mention on these star names, especially Chong Wei, is enough to whet the fans'
appetite.
The other big names coming are
Indonesia's Hendra Gunawan (Kepong BC), Markis and Tan Wee Kiong (BU Dragons
BC) and Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Petaling Jaya BC) also of Indonesia.
This will be the perfect platform
for our local players, especially the up-and-coming ones with potential, to
gain experience on the international stage.
With the keen rivalry between
Malaysia's seasoned players and foreign stars, the SSPL will be a great opportunity for players to
show their consistency, but more importantly, improve on their game. The fans
get the rare chance of catching their favourite players - national or foreign -
up close.
Most encouraging though is the
fact that SSPL has received the thumbs up from former Olympian Poul-Erik Hoyer
Larsen, who is currently President of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and a
Council Member of the International Olympic Committee.
“I believe SSPL is a great
platform for the development of badminton in Malaysia especially as it helps to
build the confidence of the Malaysian players featuring in international
tournaments and then capturing world titles,” Larsen said, who won the 1996
Atlanta Olympics singles gold medal.
Larsen added that the BWF is
determined to get more fans to continue supporting badminton globally and
believes that this is being accomplished through the SSPL which is the first
professional badminton league in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Malaysia Purple League, Dato’ Jack Koh is optimistic of achieving his
objective in bridging the gap between players and fans, regardless whether from
within the country or from abroad.
“There will be a number of
well-known players competing in SSPL which means competition will be tight. We
hope more Malaysians will be part of this globally popular sport. Malaysian
fans should be proud as our players have achieved much on badminton's world
stage,” he said.
SS Purple League (SSPL) 2016/17
main sponsors Samsung and Senheng Electric are looking to play more important
roles in promoting and supporting badminton in Malaysia.
“We believe in Purple League’s
initiative to take badminton in Malaysia to a higher level. Therefore, we would
love to be a part of this initiative as we want to ensure Samsung is involved
in this professional league as we both are on a similar mission,” said Lee Sang
Hoon, President of Samsung Electronics Malaysia.
Lim Kim Heng, Managing Director of
Senheng Electrics (KL) Sdn Bhd, said that the company's focus is not solely on
electronic equipment but also to increase the quality of people's lives through
sports.
“Together with Malaysia Purple
League, we would like to play our part in helping Malaysians to stay healthy in
mind and body through sports,” added Kim Heng.
The SSPL 2016/17 involves 10 teams - Ampang Jaya BC, Bangsar
Hawks BC, BU Dragons BC, Kepong BC, Klang City BC, Muar BC, Petaling BC,
Petaling Jaya BC, Puchong United BC and Serdang BC – and kicks off towards the
later part of the year.
Serdang BC, who will be parading national junior
players Lee Zii Jia, Soh Wooi Yik, Ooi Zi Heng and Sim Fong Hau, who all
represented Malaysia in the recently concluded BWF World Junior Championship in
Bilbao, Spain earlier this month, will be looking to their youngsters for the
main prize.
The world's top junior player Goh
Jin Wei will be representing BU Dragons BC. Leong Jun Hao, Thinaah
Muralitharan, Kisona Selvaduray (Klang City BC) and Chen Tang Jie (Petaling BC)
have stepped up from the Junior Purple League to compete with badminton's
elite.
The SSPL will feature an array of
the world's top players and fans will not have to travel far to catch the
action.
The preliminary round-robin stage will be played
at the Gem In Mall (Cyber 11 in Cyberjaya) and KLBA Stadium in Cheras while the
knockout round will be held in Genting Highlands
