Supporters' Group Set to Rock Korat.

Supporters' Group Set to Rock Korat

(The Star 24 October 2007)

After two successful outings at the SEA Games in Vietnam (2003) and Philippines (2005), the Famemas Supporters' Group has received staunch backing from Samsung for their third consecutive appearance at the region's biennial multi-sport event.

Samsung will again be funding 50 ardent sports fanatics under the banner of the country's premier sports supporters' group the spur the national athletes tussling for honours at the 24th edition of the Games in Korat, Thailand from 8 to 15. The Games will officially begin on Dec 6.

"Sports provide an ideal to unify people from all walks of life. Giving our athletes the morale boost when they are competing for the country is equally important," Tan Said.

Since the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Samsung have been sponsoring Famemas for several major international meets.

However, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi cautioned the group thet they should not rely on perpetual handouts from generous corporate companies to make their presence felt at international sports meets.

"We are happy to witness Samsung's commitment towards sports. We have also seen Famemas grow from an ad-hoc group to a registered society. But, Famemas' members should do more to portray their devotion to support the national athletes at international competitions.

"Cheering for them alone is not enough. For Famemas to go places in future, members should show their willingness to contribute.

"Besides initiating other meaningful activities to raise funds for the club, individual contributions are also important to prove thet they are prepared to make the difference in moving the club forward," Sieh said.

At the function, a group of Famemas members also rendered their spirited patriotic battle cries to entertain the guests. 

For the upcoming trip, potential partticipants will be selected through a contest organised by Samsung between Oct 9 and Nov 9 2007.

The contestants, aged 18-year-old and above, are required to answer three SEA Games related questions and complete a slogan to eam their berths for the Games.

From there, the Famemas selections committee will interview the shortlisted contenders on Nov 2007.

The contingent would be announced at the end of Nov 2007.

"Considering that some fans are not keen in joining the contest, we have also allocated another 20 places for those who are eager to pay their own expenses for the trip," Lee said. adding they are expecting the athletes' families and friends to come on board to join them.