OHANA 34Th National Squash Championships 2018 4Th - 8Th July 2018 National Squash Centre, National Sports Complex, Bukit Jalil
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OHANA 34th National Squash Championships 2018 4th - 8th July 2018 National Squash Centre, National Sports Complex, Bukit Jalil For Immediate Release The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) are pleased to announce that OHANA Communication s (OHANA), a member of technology solutions provider OMESTI Group, will continue for the 2 nd year running as the Title Sponsor for the 34th National Squash Championships 2018. The 34th Edition of the Nationals will take place at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil, from 4th – 8th July 2018 OHANA first tied up with SRAM under its Title Sponsorship of the OHANA-SRAM Squash League 2017 which is primarily targeted for social players, having the dual aims of reviving the League and popularizing the game of squash. This was quickly followed by the sponsorship of the 2017 National Championships When approached recently by SRAM to continue their sponsorship, Gerard Monteiro, Executive Director of OMESTI as well as the Deputy President of SRAM was quick to confirm the company’s support, saying, “The Nationals is an important annual event for our national athletes and competitive social squash enthusiasts alike. As a company whose core business is connecting communities, we believe that it is only fitting that OHANA continue the Title Sponsorship role.” SRAM Director Major (R) S. Maniam said, “SRAM is most thankful to OHANA for continuing to support the Nationals. A fit and hungry Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan is eager to resume action, starting with the Ohana 34th National Squash Championships that is held at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil from July 4-8. The national No. 1 has enjoyed a fine run of form this year, winning the Manitoba Open in Canada in March before going on to clinch a historic bronze medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April. The 32-year-old was however unfortunate to be floored by a painful left calf injury at the British Open last month. The determined world No. 42 has however declared himself fit as he looks to pick up the momentum once again, with an eye on the Jakarta Asian Games from Aug 18-Sept 2. “It was a painful calf injury. It was probably because I’ve been playing non-stop since the start of the year,” said Nafiizwan. “Right now I am probably 95 percent fit. I still need to do a fitness test but I definitely want to play in the nationals because it’s preparation for the Asian Games. “For us Malaysian players, the nationals and the Malaysian Open (July 17-22) will be our only chance to tune-up for the Asian Games. “Of course the Asian Games is still the bigger target for me and I certainly hope to replicate the same form I had during the Commonwealth Games.” Nafiizwan, who was national champion in 2015 and 2016, will certainly start out as the top seed and favourite for his third title in the Premier division. The Terengganu-born is however expected to face a strong challenge from a rejuvenated defending champion - Ivan Yuen, whom he lost to in the final last year. Ivan, the national No. 3, finally regained some form after ending a three-year drought on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour by winning back-to-back titles at the New Zealand International Classic and the NZ Southern Open earlier this month. It is the 27-year-old’s seventh and eighth PSA titles and he surely enters the national meet with renewed confidence. The other challengers for the men’s crown will be youngsters - national No. 2 Ng Eain Yow, who has beaten Ivan twice in PSA meets last year, and national No. 4 Mohd Syafiq Kamal. In the women’s Premier division, national No. 2 S. Sivasangari, recently named the PSA Young Player of the Year, will be the favourite for her maiden national crown in the absence of eight-time world champion Nicol David. Her main challengers will be former world No. 5 Low Wee Wern, who is making an injury comeback after more than a year on the sidelines, rising star Aifa Azman and SEA Games silver medallist Rachel Arnold. An interesting twist to the nationals this year is that it will also serve as a selection for the Asiad. A total of 31 players will feature in the men’s Premier division, the biggest number of entries in recent years while the women’s Premier division will have 16 players. Other categories in the national meet are the men’s and women’s Division 1, men’s Masters over-35, over-50 and over-60 categories. There is also a newly minted Squash57 category featuring an open division for over-40, over-50 and over-60 age-groups. Co-Sponsor Dunlop continues to support the Nationals for the 9th year running by offering prizes to the top eight finishers in each division. About OHANA OHANA provides integrated communications solutions including Fibre Broadband, Voice, Web Presence and Security, specifically tailored to SMEs, as well as enterprise-scale Metro E and Network Services. As a member of the OMESTI Group, a portfolio of As-A-Service solutions including VIDA Intelligent Video Analytics, HCM Cloud and Account365 is also available. OMESTI is an established technology solutions provider, systems integrator and distributor with a successful track record in the implementation of large-scale projects across a range of industries including: Financial Services, Energy & Utilities, Judiciary, Education, Digital Infrastructure, Media & Telecommunications, ICT, Government, Transport & Logistics and others. www.ohana.com.my About SRAM The SQUASH RACQUETS ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA more often known as SRAM is the governing body for the game of Squash in Malaysia. Founded in 1972, SRAM has a continuous commitment to growing the game in this country. Squash used to be the sport of the elite in the British Clubs of old. Today squash is truly the sport of the people, with squash courts available to all Malaysians in every state of the nation. SRAM is active in running tournaments at junior, university, senior and professional levels that attract top international players to our shores. The National Squads are trained by our coaches who are some of the best in the world. In addition, SRAM also continues to certify coaches and referees to the standards of the World Squash Federation. www.malaysia- squash.org .