UDA empowers youth through bowling to build future champions
The programme was designed to uncover sporting potential among primary school students, especially those from the low-income families (B40).
IPOH - UDA Holdings Berhad continues to champion community empowerment through sports as it nurtures young bowling talents from low-income families, aiming to produce future national champions.
UDA Holdings Berhad (UDA) reaffirms its commitment to community development through its CSR initiative UDA Cares: Bangunkan Komuniti, Lahirkan Juara (Build the Community, Create Champions), which produced 29 talented students in bowling after 16 weeks of training.
Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Annuar Zaini said the programme was designed to uncover sporting potential among primary school students, especially those from the low-income families (B40).
29 out of 120 students, who participated in the initial screening, successfully completed intensive training under the guidance of former national athlete Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi and two local professional coaches.
“Bowling is often seen as an expensive sport, which indirectly denies children from B40 families the opportunity to take part.
However, we believe that within this group lies great potential that can be developed if they are given the space and proper guidance,” he said.
Mohd Annuar added that the five best participants from the programme would undergo advanced training to prepare for higher-level tournaments, including representing Perak in the Malaysia Games (Sukma).
He said the initiative was not just about winning titles but also about promoting sportsmanship, racial unity and mutual respect among the younger generation.
He also expressed hope that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme would continue as a platform to nurture quality and competitive young athletes.
The participants were selected from several schools in Ipoh such as Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Kinta, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil Kampung Simee, SK Cator Avenue and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Chung Tack Simee.
The final competition held at Angsana Ipoh Mall in conjunction with the launching ceremony marked the end of the intensive training session.
The competition which was held on Sunday featured two categories — the closed and open categories.
In the closed category, 29 participants competed individually according to their age levels — Level 1 for participants aged 7 to 9, and Level 2 for those aged 10 to 12.
The open category involved 10 primary school teams from around Ipoh, with each team consisting of four students aged between 10 and 12.
He also thanked government and private agencies, including the Perak State Education Department, Perak Youth and Sports Department, Perak State Sports Council, Yayasan Perak, Perak Transit Berhad and FND Empire Sdn Bhd, for their collaboration.
According to him, each agency played a crucial role in supporting the initiative, including Yayasan Perak sponsoring training attire for participants, Perak Transit providing free transportation, and FND Empire offering facilities as well as training at Lite Superbowl JB 9, Angsana Ipoh Mall.
With strong support and ongoing implementation, UDA expressed confidence that the bowling CSR initiative would continue to produce competitive young athletes while serving as a model of successful collaboration between the public and private sectors.
He also said that Angsana Ipoh Mall was chosen strategically to reinforce UDA’s role in strengthening community-based commercial centres.
“With a Bumiputera tenant participation rate reaching 54 per cent, Angsana Ipoh Mall is not just a shopping centre but also functions as an inclusive community hub that supports urban entrepreneurship activities,” he said.
At the same time, Karnival UDA 2025 @ Ipoh was held for three days starting Oct 10, featuring 50 MSME entrepreneurs, including those under the Perak State Entrepreneurs Secretariat (STeP) and the Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maipk).
The concurrent organisation of both programmes reflected UDA’s dual purpose which was to nurture sports talent while strengthening a sustainable and inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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