PJ City FC owner, Datuk Seri Vijay Eswaran, has been in a smashing mood on two fronts - badminton and football.
He said badminton truly inspires Malaysians of all races — and certainly his PJ City team — the only all-local team (with no foreign players) in football's Super League.
And it was double celebration for Eswaran on Sunday, for as he watched Zii Jia defeat Denmark's World No 2 Viktor Axelsen in the All-England final on television, his team beat Sri Pahang 1-0 in a Super League match at MBPJ Stadium.
"At a time when the nation is still facing various challenges due to the global pandemic, Zia Jia's energetic win has certainly given hope that badminton will continue to bring honours to the nation and its people, a tradition that began in the 1960s, which was followed by the emergence of the Sidek brothers and the legendary Lee Chong Wei," said Vijay.
"We can now brim with confidence that the country has found someone who can finally win the country's first Olympic gold.
"What excites me, as a Malaysian, is that badminton has always been a true Malaysian sport where champions of all races have brought honours and glory to the nation.
"We had Wong Peng Soon, Punch Gunalan, Saw Swee Leong, James Selvaraj and of course the famed Sidek brothers – Misbun, Razif, Jalani, Rashid and Rahman – all having excelled in various tournaments including the Thomas Cup and the Olympics."
Source: New Straits Times