Malaysia Not Likely To Host 2017 World Junior Squash Championships

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is not likely to host the World Junior Squash Championships in 2017, said Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) president Huang Ying How. According to Ying How, SRAM has yet to secure sponsorship for hosting the championships. He said its current goal was to bring the national junior team to the second spot in the world ranking. "As of now, no... because we are unable to secure a sponsor. This is not off either, we need to write to a sponsor. It was a plan. When we go looking for sponsorship, we cannot go without a goal...and our goal is to be at least in the top two in the world junior 16/17 squad for Girls and Boys. "We must be in contention for gold or silver," he said at a press conference after launching the 2015 CIMB Junior Squash Development Programme at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil, Thursday. He was commenting on questions raised on former SRAM president A. Sani Karim's plan to host the championship in Malaysia. Meanwhile, about 800 young squash players are set to shine at the 10th CIMB Rising Stars National Juniors Circuit (Under-9, 11, 13) and 6th CIMB National Junior Circuit (Under-15, 17, 19) categories, this year. Both circuits will have three legs each and each leg will be held at the National Squash Centre, including the joint grand finals, where the first leg of the Rising Stars National Juniors Circuit would be held from Thursday to March 1. Ying How said with the continuous support from the CIMB Foundation, SRAM has been able to address most of the key areas with programmes set up to cover all the way from grassroots level to turning pro. "With these programmes in place and running, SRAM can then focus on further improving the quality and results of its players," he said. Earlier, Ying How and CIMB Foundation Chief Executive Officer Raja Noorma Raja Othman presented a mock cheque to the 2015 British Junior Open and 17th Asian Junior Team Championship squads for their outstanding performances. -- BERNAMA