KUALA LUMPUR: Squash legend Datuk Nicol David is hoping to give more children, especially girls, the chance to learn squash and strengthen their english skills through her non-profit, the Nicol David Organisation (NDO).
Nicol said NDO, launched in June 2022, currently has 111 children enrolled in its programme which is aimed at children from low to middle-income families.
"We recruit children from public schools and after 18 months we already have 111 kids in the programme. The support from the parents has been amazing," said Nicol when met recently.
"Currently we roughly have a 50-50 ratio between boys and girls. We are hoping to bring more girls into the programme.
"We don't set any criteria, you don't even have to be a sporty person to join
"We give them squash training and english tutoring to help them achieve holistic growth."
While pleased with the progress achieved in recent years, Nicol stressed that efforts to boost women participation in sports must be continued.
"It (women participation in sports) has really grown a lot. When I was a kid, it was only my two sisters (Lianne, Cheryl) and I in the Penang state team," said Nicol.
"Today we have roughly 800 juniors competing around the country, 40 per cent of which are girls. I think more girls have come into the sport after what I achieved.
"The age-group competitions are always good to gauge how many girls are participating."
Nicol appeared as a panel member during the Sime Darby Foundation (SDF) Women and Girls' in Sports Forum recently. SDF are one of the main supports of NDO.