No more in Berjaya Times Square from next year

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Open squash championships will be played at a new venue from next year.

The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) president, Datuk A. Sani Karim, said that the championships this week would be staged for the last time at the Berjaya Times Square, which was the venue since 2005.

“We have yet to decide on the new venue,’’ said Sani yesterday.

Our conttribution: Charon Wardini (left) handing over mock sponsorship cheque to Syed Mustaffa as Sani (centre) looks on.

He said that they needed to stage the championships elsewhere because the shopping complex would be renovated.

“It was a good way to promote squash to public by having the top-level matches played at the shopping centre. But after renovation, there will be escalators in the concourse area where the present glass court is placed,” said Sani.

Meanwhile, Sani hoped that CIMB would extend their sponsorship contract with the SRAM after it expires in June.

“CIMB have been sponsoring the KL Open for four consecutive years. It is a world-class event and I hope they will continue to support squash in Malaysia,’’ he said.

The executive director, CIMB Investment Bank, Datuk Charon Wardini Mokhzani, who handed the sponsorship mock cheque to the SRAM deputy president and organising chairman of the KL Open, Datuk Syed Mustaffa Syed Ali, yesterday said that they were in discussions with the SRAM on the matter.

The women’s competition remain a highly-rated event with the inclusion of the world’s top nine players and it offers a total purse of US$53,500. The prize money for the men’s competition is US$50,000.

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/3/4/sports/3395129