KUALA LUMPUR: Women's singles shuttler S. Kisona, 24, today received a RM100,000 sponsorship deal from Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd.
Kisona, the 2019 Sea Games gold medallist, left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in December to pursue a professional career.
During her time with the national body, she was plagued by knee injuries, resulting in her falling down the pecking order.
However, with the new sponsorship deal, she believes she has what it takes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Now training under former internationals Zakry Latif and Arif Latif at the Sendayan Badminton Club, the world No 48 hopes to break into the world top 20 by early next year.
"Firstly, I want to thank my father (A. Selvaduray) because he was the one who approached Matrix. We had been looking for sponsors since I left BAM four months ago.
"I am really happy that I can continue to chase my dream, and I want to thank (Matrix founder and chief executive officer) Datuk Seri Lee Tian Hock for believing in me.
"This is a good start for me. I have recovered and have the confidence to perform on court," said Seremban-born Kisona, who will play in next week's Super 300 Swiss Open.
She will play in the qualifying rounds first before making the tournament proper.
Present at the ceremony at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara were BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, deputy president Datuk B. Subramaniam, vice-president Datuk Ng Chin Chai and secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh.
Norza said BAM was committed to helping athletes who represented the country, including those who trained outside the national setup.
Meanwhile, Lee said he had received a letter from Kisona on Friday and quickly made arrangements to sponsor her.
"I've known of Kisona even before she left the national body, and I am always there to support athletes who want to make the country proud, even more when they are from Negri Sembilan.
"Apart from this sponsorship deal, which will cover her tournament expenses, I have also extended a complimentary membership for her to train at Sendayan Badminton Club, which is owned by Matrix.
"I also want to thank Tan Sri Norza for extending assistance to Kisona through the National Sports Institute."