Kuala Lumpur, 30 March 2011 – Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) today awarded Malaysia’s track cycling champion, Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, with the YSD Outstanding Achiever award in appreciation of his sportsmanship and hard work, and in recognising his admirable achievements in track cycling.

Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of YSD, accompanied by Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. M Jegathesan, fellow Governing Council Member of YSD, presented Azizul with a mock cheque amounting to RM20,000 at a ceremony held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre, Bukit Kiara. Also present to witness the ceremony were Datuk Naim Mohamad, Deputy President of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) and John Beasley, Head Coach of the YSD Track Cycling team, as well as other Governing Council members of YSD.

In his speech, Tun Musa mentioned how proud he was to have Azizul as part of the YSD family. “Since receiving the support from YSD, we have seen tremendous success from Azizul in his track cycling career. Not only did he win a gold medal in the Asian Games 2010, he emerged as the 2010-2011 Keirin World Champion in Manchester, England in February 2010. This is Azizul’s third consecutive year becoming the world Keirin champion.”

“Azizul has done the country proud in many instances. His outstanding achievements were acknowledged twice when he was granted the Malaysian National Sportsman award two consecutive years in a row; 2009 and 2010. Awarding Azizul the YSD Outstanding Achiever award is a small token from us in recognising his exceptional accomplishments since receiving support from YSD. Congratulations, Azizul,” he added.

The YSD Outstanding Achiever award is made available for existing individual beneficiaries of YSD’s support under its five pillars; Education, Community Development, Youth, Sports and Recreation, Arts and Culture, and Conservation of Environment and Protection of the Ecosystems. To be eligible for this award, the YSD beneficiaries must have remarkable accolades in their respective fields, recognised at both local and international levels. In Azizul’s case, he has been receiving support from YSD through the YSD Track Cycling team, which is a collaboration with MNCF.

YSD committed RM2 million to fund the team’s participation in international competitions, to collect points to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, and aim to win an Olympic medal. Individually, Azizul is receiving a support of RM456,000 under the YSD “Star” Scholarship programme, to pursue a 3-year Bachelor of Exercise Science adn Human Movement at Victoria University in Melbourne, beginning June 2011.

Tun Musa then announced the appointment of Azizul as the ambassador for the newly founded Tabung Leukemia YSD. “Having Azizul on board this noble programme is most ideal, given that the main event to raise funds for the Tabung will be a charity cycling affair, scheduled later this year.”

Tabung Leukemia YSD is a fund set up to benefit leukemia patients in Malaysia, from the ages of 13 to 72 years old, in dire need of bone marrow transplant. Eligible patients will be able to enjoy subsidised, comprehensive treatment at Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC)’s Blood Diseases Centre in Subang Jaya. These patients could be patients of SDMC, or referral cases from other government and private hospitals.

“YSD would like to make the comprehensive treatment available at SDMC’s facilities more accessible to leukemia patients. It’s a shame that we’ve seen so many patients discouraged by the high cost associated with seeking treatment for leukemia,” Tun Musa further added.

The ceremony saw the unveiling of Tabung Leukemia YSD logo, and both Tun Musa and Azizul became the first donors to contribute to this noble cause.

Azizulhasni, in his thank you speech mentioned that he feels blessed to have been given opportunities to excel in his career by YSD and the country. “It is such an honour to be the first recipient of the YSD Outstanding Achiever award. Truly, the support from YSD has helped me realise my dreams. I believe the time has come for me to help make other people’s aspirations come true, especially the disadvantaged. Through Tabung Leukemia YSD, I am able to help raise funds for leukemia patients in Malaysia,” he said.

“I look forward to the charity ride event later this year, where I hope to be able to raise the much needed funds to kick start the Tabung. Let’s ride together to help those who cannot afford to seek treatment. Let’s give them a chance to live better lives,” Azizul added, ending his speech.