By V. Sivaji
Sports Tourism is fast gaining traction in Penang with the lifting of interstate and international travel.
A recent badminton competition drew some 1,000 people both locally and from other states too.
The competition was held at the Relau Sports Complex.
Among them were 320 players accompanied by their parents, supporters, friends and badminton fans.
The inaugural Four Seasons Open Badminton Championshipship was organised by Tashin Travel Sdn Bhd.
Participants from the ages of nine, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, adults and veterans competed.
Organising chairman Philip Teh was a busy man making sure that the programme runs like clockwork.
He added that the competition will help develop new talents for the sports to represent the state and later the nation. The atmosphere was more interesting as it reflected the true Malaysian identity of all races mingling and having fun.
Winners in the 18-years-old category will be invited to the grand finals in Kuala Lumpur from Dec 16 to 18, 2022.
Lending support to the competition in terms of sponsorship was Hotel NEO+ Penang led by their general manager Dato Gulab Mahatam Rai and along with their director of sales and marketing, Mei Wong.
“We are happy to sponsor rooms for the officials for the competition. This is our way of promoting sports tourism in the state. Quite recently we also worked with Vespa enthusiasts where some 5,000 riders gathered at the Esplanade. It was truly a successful gathering.
“There were even riders from Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunel gathering here for the event.,” said Gulab.
Meanwhile, winning players won medals, certificates and sports equipment sponsored by Apacs Sports (M) Sdn Bhd.
In support to the competition was Penang Badminton Association (PBA) was represented by its deputy president, Dato Harry Goh. They provided umpires, linesmen and other officers in making the event a success.
The participants also gathered for a dinner at the Penang Golf Club.
As a leading supporter of sports tourism, Hotel NEO+ Penang will also host participants of the Penang International Dragon Boat Festival 2022 which will be held on November 27 at the Teluk Bahang Dam.
The officials and participants from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines will be staying at the hotel.
