In search of a champion

Eight young badminton players will compete for the coveted Jaguh title IN line with the upcoming Thomas Cup, TV9 is airing a new sports reality show Jaguh, which premiers on March 26 at 9pm.

The eight-episode series focuses on eight young badminton players who were selected to join the jaguh team after a series of nationwide auditions in December last year. They are currently undergoing intensive training to be crowned the next jaguh (champion) in badminton.

"The show is the first of its kind and provides a platform for young talents to expand their sporting skills," says TV9 head of brand management Rozaina Zainal Abidin.

"It also gives them the exposure they need to excel in badminton." The participants are Muhammad Umar Al Qhatab Mohammed Shaffie, 12 (Kuala Lumpur), Chia Wei Jie, 10 (Kuala Lumpur), Goh Ting Yu, 11 (Sabah), Muhammad Ariff Mohd Asaari, 10 (Kuala Lumpur), Muhammad Izzuddin, 12 (Selangor), Muhammad Syafiq A. Sanusi, 10 (Malacca), Ahmad Shah Fuad Muhammad, 12 (Negri Sembilan) and Riyanda Kesuma Suherman, 12 (Selangor).

They are trained by professional coaches led by Kwan Yoke Meng (one of the singles player of the Malaysian squad that won the 1992 Thomas Cup). Kwan will be assisted by Mohd Salleh Suwandi, Abd Rani Nasir and Sambenthan Sivaperumal.

All eight are housed at the Ministry of Youth and Sports hostel in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur and they have been training at the USJ23 Badminton Hall in Subang Jaya since December last year.

Besides the technical aspects of training, participants are also taught discipline, attitude, dietary habits, mental and physical endurance. The participants will compete against each other and the champion will receive a trophy, RM3,000 and other gifts. Other prizes are RM2,000 for second place and RM1,000 for third place. The fourth place winner takes home RM500 while the rest are given RM300 each. A special prize of RM1,000 will be given to The Hopeful Player (Pemain Harapan).

The show is produced by executive producer Baskaran Krishnakutty and producer Wahyu Nursubiyakto. Hotfm deejay Ikhwan is the host.

Jaguh is aired every Friday at 9pm from March 26.

Source from New Straits Times

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