Local Sailors Reaping The benefits of Monsoon Cup

by Monsoon Cup 2010 on 24 Oct 2010 Jeremy Koo’s (Koo Racing Team-Evernew) stunning victory in the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC), which earned him a berth in the Monsoon Cup, could usher in a more professional approach by local sailors.

As the professionalism of the sport increases in Malaysia, thanks to the successful staging of the Monsoon Cup, the season-ending race of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), so too has the interest from commercial partners.

Jeremy was one of three sailors to have a personal sponsor – Evernew, an IT solutions firm. Another sailor who inked a major sponsorship deal is 2009 MMRC Champion Hazwan Hazim Dermawan. Hazwan has signed with Pulse Group PLC and AC Law which will see him his team became the first all-Malaysian crew to sail in a World Match Racing Championship (WMRT) event outside of Malaysia when he competes in the Korea Match Cup qualifiers next year.

Up-and-coming sailor, Nik Ashraf Qaedi, who is a member of the Malaysian Asian Games squad, has a deal with Kentucky Fried Chicken. This new commercial interest has also engendered a greater level of competitive spirit amongst the teams as they start to realise the rewards for success on the water.

Jeremy, who is currently based in Hong Kong, said: “Sponsorship is very important for us as this sport is not cheap. Sailors are always on the look out for more sponsors. Winning always helps but we have to be more professional in our approach if we are to attract more sponsors.”

Meanwhile, the level of skill and ability displayed by Malaysia’s finest sailors has been notably higher than ever before. This is very much the result of the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports’ efforts to nurture new talent and professionalism via the successful Monsoon Sailing School initiative. It is here that these sailors are able to develop and fine tune their match racing skills and to ultimately realise their ambitions to compete at the MMRC and then the Monsoon Cup.

With one of the qualifying places for the Monsoon Cup now filled, the spotlight will fall on the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC), which begins tomorrow. The four-day event will also see the winning team get an invitation to the Monsoon Cup. The third qualifying event is the Sunseeker Australia Cup from Nov 24-27.

The Monsoon Cup is the season ending race on the World Match Racing Tour and will be held from Nov 30-Dec 5. The world’s top sailors will all be in Terengganu with five skippers still in the race to be crowned World Champion.

For more information, please contact:
Mira Navaretna
mira@tbest.com.my
+603-22833324
or visit www.monsooncup.com.my

OVERALL STANDINGS WMRT 2010 MMRC
1. Jeremy Koo (Koo Racing Team-Evernew)
2. Tiffany Koo (Koo Racing Team)
3. Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (Team Pulse AC_Law)
4. Nik Ashraf Qaedi (Team Malaysia One)
5. Rizal Mahadi Sazli (RSYC)
6. Nurul Elia Anuar (Sail Putrajaya)
7. Mohd Razali Mansor (MAF 1)
8. Mohd Masyuri Rahmat (MYA)
9. Jerome Welch (Putrajaya 5 O)