KEDAH SQUASH ASSOCIATION TO FOCUS ON DEVELOPMENT AT SCHOOL LEVEL

ALOR SETAR, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- The Kedah State Squash Association will focus on strengthening the development of the sport at school level, especially in rural areas, to produce more new talents in the arena.

Its president Zainol Abidin Mohamad said the effort would be made one of the association's main agendas after he was elected to lead the association yesterday.

According to him, early exposure to squash is very important to ensure more students, especially at the primary level, to take up the sport, thus shaping development at grassroots level.

"We want to bring squash to schools, especially in rural areas where there is still a lack of exposure and support for the sport.

"So far, there has been no official squash competition at the district or state level involving school students, so this is one of the things we will focus on," he told reporters here.

Zainol Abidin said Kedah has great potential in squash, including producing athletes who can compete at the international level, such as the success of national player, S. Sivasangari who is from this state.

"We once had a world squash icon, Datuk Nicol David, and Kedah has also produced athletes who won medals at the SEA Games. This proves that squash can grow if developed properly,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said the association would go through a restructuring process with the establishment of several bureaus, including the Coaching Bureau, Athlete Welfare Bureau and Fundraising Bureau, to ensure that the management and development of squash sports is more organised.

Zainol Abidin, who is also the chairman of the Kedah Parents and School Community Association (PIBKS), said his party would take advantage of its good relationship with the Kedah State Education Department (JPN) and the District Education Office (PPD) to realise the wish.

-- BERNAMA