5 days ago
Foundation grants aid to S'gor athletes, youths
Ahmad Azri (centre) with (from left) Monster Vicious team members Dhiya Harith Hazran Shahrul Hadafi, Danial Amsyar, Hanis Adlan Adnan and Muhammad Danish Fitri Razman during the ceremony.
The Selangor e-sports team Monster Vicious received a major boost to their growth plans, thanks to RM50,000 in funding from Yayasan MBI, a foundation under Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated.
The sum was part of the RM78,000 distributed among 14 athletes and youths, in an initiative to support the growth of sports and education in the state.
Monster Vicious business and public relations head Danial Amsyar Mohd Faizal, 25, shared the group's enthusiasm on receiving the generous sum.
'This is our third time receiving funds from Yayasan MBI, but this is the biggest sum yet.
'It's going to give us the fighting spirit that we need to go into our next season.
'We'll be using the grant to upgrade our facilities so that we can focus on building a stronger foundation,' he said.
Ahmad Azri (front row, seventh from left) holding a boxing championship belt while posing with all the grant recipients at Bangunan Darul Ehsan in Shah Alam. — Photos: LOW BOON TAT/The Star
The funds were handed over at a ceremony launched by Yayasan MBI head Ahmad Azri Zainal Nor at Bangunan Darul Ehsan, Shah Alam.
Ahmad Azri stressed on the importance of investing in the e-sports community.
'E-sports is a global trend right now.
'I've just returned from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the Esports World Cup is ongoing (until Aug 24) and I saw how massive the involvement is.
'This is a large-scale industry and in some countries, it's already worth billions.
'With nations like Saudi Arabia willing to invest heavily in this sector, I believe it would be unwise for us not to seize the opportunity in e-sports,' said Ahmad Azri.
A sum of RM22,000 was given to those involved in taekwondo, archery, boxing, football and motorcycling.
Meanwhile, RM6,000 was channelled towards education, empowerment and death benefit programmes.
For others, like 33-year-old professional boxer Aiman Hisyam Abu Bakar, the aid will bring him closer to his goal of becoming a world champion.
'This is my first time receiving a contribution from the state and I'm truly grateful for the support,' he said.
'There's an upcoming match here in Malaysia where I'll be defending my boxing belt and this is part of a great start.'
