KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — The demise of the late George Heng Kiah Choong who passed away peacefully last Wednesday at the age of 72 was indeed a sad loss to Malaysian sports.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) in a heartfelt condolence post on Facebook today described George or fondly known as Uncle George as not only an individual who devoted his life to tenpin bowling but also one of the early pioneers of sports marketing and sponsorship in Malaysia and with the council.
“The sudden and unexpected demise of Uncle George is indeed a sad loss to Malaysian Sport. May his soul rest in peace,” it said.
It said George and his wife, Tan Yuet Ching co-founded Mesuma Sports Sdn Bhd on September 2, 1983, to provide customised sports apparel, medals and trophies and sports equipment apart from being a member of the Marketing and Sponsorship Committee of the Organising Committee of the 15th SEA Games Kuala Lumpur in 1989.
“Uncle George was one of those who introduced the installation of light boxes onto street lamp posts for sponsors to advertise their products prominently and to make the 15th SEA Games Kuala Lumpur 1989 a great success both financially and commercially,” it added.
OCM also informed that Mesuma Sports Sdn Bhd under his leadership had come onboard to become the official attire sponsor for them from 2006 to 2012 including providing sports attire and gears for the Malaysian contingents to two Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and three SEA Games.
On bowling, OCM pointed out that George had devoted much of his time and resources to the development of the sport in Malaysia for the past 45 years which had contributed to the great achievement of Malaysian keglers at the Asian and world levels.
The statement said George was first elected as a Council Member of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) in 1977, followed by Vice President (2001 to 2009) and Senior Vice President (2009 to 2015).
“During his tenure with the MTBC, Uncle George was tasked to be a Team Manager for the national tenpin bowling team to numerous international championships including five multi-sport games under the jurisdiction of OCM namely the 1983 SEA Games in Singapore, 1985 SEA Games in Bangkok, 1991 SEA Games in Manila, 1993 SEA Games in Singapore and 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai,” it added.
OCM also highlighted George’s contribution to the development of sepak takraw at the state level including being elected as the vice-president of the Federal Territory Sepak Takraw Association from 2002 to 2009 and as its deputy president since 2009 as well as the founder of the Selangor Rehabilitation and Recreational Association for the Disabled since 2009.
Meanwhile, MTBC also took to their Facebook to convey condolence messages to George’s family over his demise and informed that the bowling fraternity will deeply miss him for what he had contributed to Malaysian sports especially tenpin bowling. — Bernama
