The Astro Junior Championships U15 (AJC) (Regional) concluded on Thursday at Stadium Juara, Kuala Lumpur with Exist Badminton Club from Indonesia as well-deserved champions taking home their share of the US$12,000 prize pool.

The 10 players (five males, five females) of Exist Badminton Club — Bintang Diaz Putra Sutisna, Hendrawan, Iqbal Diaz Saputra, Muhammad Ridhwanul Arifin, Nauval Syaputra, Fadillah Nur Hidayah, Irgi Apprilla Hizkia Rifa Putri, Shiva Nabilla Putri, Siti Zarah Azzahra and Vyananda Bintang Racketta — beat 13 other teams from across the region to take home a cash prize of US$5,000, a trophy and medals presented by Lee Choong Khay, Astro's Chief of Sports.

During the finals of the AJC (Regional), the winning team defeated Anhui Soyu Badminton Club from China 3-1.

Anhui Soyu Badminton Club received US$3,000 in prize money, a trophy and medals, while semi-finalists D'Jarum Badminton Club and Ragunan Sports School, both from Indonesia, were each awarded US$2,000 in prize money, as well as a trophy and medals.

Lee said,"The AJC (Regional) was a fantastic opportunity for these young, talented shuttlers to put their skills to the test with their equals from across Asia.

"We are proud of their performance and sportsmanship displayed throughout the four days. We hope that they can use this experience at the AJC (Regional) as a stepping stone to represent their countries professionally on the global stage.

"As the ‘home of sports’ in Malaysia, Astro looks forward to continue raising the overall standard of badminton among Malaysians and to nurture a new generation of badminton champions through more regional and global initiatives."

The Astro Junior Championships U15 was a mixed-team competition aiming to provide an additional platform for young shuttlers to compete in national and regional tournaments.

Prior to the AJC (Regional), the AJC (National) was held from September 6 to 9 amongst Malaysian teams, in which national-level champions Wolf Team and runners-up CRC Taipex Penang qualified for the AJC (Regional).

The Astro Junior Championships U15 was endorsed by Badminton Asia (BA) and Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia, Ministry of Education Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture Malaysia, F&N Beverages Marketing, Victor Sports and Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara Hotel.