KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia’s representatives from Sabah, Howard Lee Chia Siang and Jessie Wong Sin Ying emerged as champions of the mixed doubles event for the 18–39 age category of the 2026 Badminton Yulianmeng World Confederation President’s Cup Championship which took place in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China on March 20–22.
With the victory, they received a gold medal each, a commemorative certificate and a racket.
Howard Lee received initial training at the AST Club, Foo Chow, which was once coached by Bryno Wong.
The tournament was also attended by six other Malaysian participants from Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak but did not get a place on the podium.
The three-day tournament featured 43 events and 660 participants from across Malaysia and other regions, with a total of 1,067 matches held.
The tournament was officiated by prominent figure Datuk Anthony Linggian. Also present was Bi Yingzhen, President of the Yulian World Badminton Coalition.
At the dinner (March 20), Anthony received a certificate of appointment as the Technical Advisor of Badminton China for the event by Bi Yingzhen.
Wong Nyap Fun, the owner of the Olympia Arena Badminton Hall (Inanam), was also present as an invited participant.
The involvement of international figures such as Anthony has strengthened the tournament’s potential to grow into a multidisciplinary platform that integrates sports, education, culture and community development – promoting health, fitness and pride among badminton fans around the world. – JT
CONGRATULATIONS … Anthony and Wong Nyap Fun presented prizes to Sabah mixed doubles champions Howard Lee and Jessie Wong on the podium.
