Kuala Lumpur: Four professional badminton shuttlers, including world number one men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and mixed doubles duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, have pledged their commitment to the Road to Gold (RTG) Programme for the 2025 cycle. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced that through RTG, they will now receive extensive performance-related support as they aim to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28) and create history for Malaysia in the United States of America.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hannah Yeoh emphasized that RTG has always supported athletes who meet the programme’s criteria, expressing hope that the additional support will spur them in their pursuit of excellence this year. Last week, Hannah announced that eight badminton players, including world number two men’s doubles duo Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, top national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, as well as national mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, have agreed to join the programme.

Other athletes joining the programme are weightlifter Mohd Aniq Kasdan, track cyclists Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, and S. Sivasangari from squash. Hannah also announced that the national women’s recurve archery trio Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, Syaqiera Mashayikh, and Nurul Azreena Fazil, as well as squash player Ng Eain Yow, have agreed to join the Fast Track RTG programme.

The RTG project, introduced by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in April 2023, is a national initiative aimed at coordinating the country’s efforts to win its first gold medal at the Olympic Games, focusing on the Paris 2024 and LA28 editions.