The Astro Junior Championship U15 began on Thursday with Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman officiating the start at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

The badminton tournament, an extension of the successful Astro Kem Badminton, would be taking place from September 6 to 9, with 32 teams of aspiring shuttlers competing for a share of the prize pool of RM14,000 as well as a trophy and medals.

The event would also be open to the public to watch and stand a chance to win attractive Astro merchandise.

At the opening ceremony, the Youth and Sports Minister of Malaysia praised Astro for their active involvement in the national grassroots badminton scene.

"It is encouraging to have the private and public sectors collaborating to sustain Malaysia’s badminton legacy and upgrade playing standards, especially among future shuttlers.

"Currently the future of badminton in Malaysia has a potential-gap that needs to be filled progressively to ensure Malaysia continues to be represented globally in this game.

"I am sure, through Astro Junior Championship and the existing Astro Kem Badminton, we will discover and nurture our future badminton stars," he said.

On the same day, the signing of a strategic partnership between the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) and Astro was held, which would see, among others, the BAM provide their endorsement of Astro Kem Badminton programmes as well as technical support for the Astro Junior Championship U15.

Commenting on the partnership, Henry Tan, CEO-designate of Astro, said it was formed due to Astro believing a greater future in sports lays in the children of today.

"We acknowledge the vital role we hold as a media organisation in shaping the development of sports in Malaysia as well as in locations we operate.

"We have been actively working in serving the community through our program Astro Kasih, in which several sports-related verticals such as Astro Kem Badminton and Astro Kem Bola have taken place in Malaysia and in the ASEAN region.

"Through Kem Badminton, we have been involved in the training of young aspiring badminton stars nationwide with some advancing to Japan for more intensive training.

"We are pleased to continue our collaboration with our long-standing partner, the Badminton Association of Malaysia, for an additional three years to help raise the standards of badminton in our country through a series of programmes," said Tan.