KUALA LUMPUR, 24 Feb 2018:
UEM Group Bhd yesterday announced its collaboration with the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) via a RM4 million contract for two years until 2019.
The cooperation kicked off with the launch of the latest MRU jersey witnessed by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, UEM group managing director Datuk Izzaddin Idris and MRU president Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya.
Izzaddin hoped it would boost the spirit of the national rugby squad in preparation for the 2018 Premier Division Asian Rugby Championship (ARC) in April, in an effort to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in Tokyo, Japan.
“We are really proud and excited to work with MRU and hope this sponsorship will pave the way for the national team to receive the best support to continue to reap success on the world stage to further enhance the Malaysian name.”
Shahrul Zaman said the RM4 million sponsorship was the biggest sponsorship MRU had received thus far, and hoped it would be a positive start for the local rugby sports arena.
“UEM Group’s support is able to strengthen our capabilities and unlock more opportunities for our players. It’s a good start and we’re excited to continue working with the UEM Group as a platform for us to promote rugby sports in the coming years.”
For the record, MRU has notched some impressive achievements in recent years through the national 15-aside men’s squad and the seven-aside men and women’s squads.
The 15-aside men’s squad – led by head coach Lee Nyuk Fah – won the ARC Division One championships in 2016 and 2017 while the seven-aside men and women’s squads won gold and bronze medals respectively at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2017 in August last year.
The brilliant record also boosted the 15-aside men’s squad’s place at the international stage when it was ranked 47th in the world as compared to 62th in the beginning of 2016.
– Bernama