GEORGE TOWN: A TOTAL of 258 players from all over Malaysia and five other countries will compete in the 31st Penang International Junior Age-Group Tennis Championships which start today.
The competition will be held at four venues: Penang Sports Club, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Youth and Sports Complex and Chinese Recreation Club courts.
The five-day event is hosted by the Penang Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) with the cooperation of the state sports council and sponsored by Nestle (M) Bhd and DLP Sporting Goods Sdn Bhd.
PLTA president Hang Kok Long said the foreign field will comprise 90 players from Singapore (51), Japan (20), South Korea (11), Indonesia (5) and the Philippines (3).
The other challengers will be from Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.
He said most of the foreign players are highly ranked in their respective country, and they come to Penang to accumulate points that will enable them to get higher rankings in Asia.
The PLTA event is the first of three back-to-back competitions, the other two being in Perlis and Langkawi.
The championships will be divided into 16 categories in four age groups: Boys’ and Girls’ Under-10, Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16, singles and doubles.
State Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Chong Eng said the Penang International Junior Age Group Championships would give local players the
opportunity to experience playing against higher ranked foreign
players.
She said in hosting the event locally, it would help reduce the financial burden of parents in sending their children overseas for competitions.