Ajinomoto Adds Flavour To 2017 SEA Games By Becoming Platinum Sponsor

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Feb 15 (Bernama) -- Food and seasoning manufacturer Ajinomoto Co. Inc. added flavour to the 2017 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games hosted by Malaysia after signing an agreement to provide sponsorship for the biennial games in August and September respectively. The highly anticipated SEA Games and the ASEAN Para Games are biennial events held every two years to help forge strong regional cooperation, understanding and unity within the Southeast Asian community. This year as Malaysia plays host, Ajinomoto Co. becomes the first Japanese company to sponsor the SEA Games, commemorating the company's 60th anniversary of the establishment and diplomatic relations between Japan and Malaysia. Without revealing the amount of sponsorship, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said cash sponsorship for the games thus far had reached US$4.05 million (RM18.05 million). "It is not their (Japan) culture to reveal the amount. The cash sponsorship target for the games is US$6.74 million (RM30 million) and in terms of sponsorship for products and services, we have received US$9.86 million (RM43.9 million) from the US$11.23 million (RM50 million) targetted. (US$1=RM4.44) "I am confident of achieving the RM50 million target in two or three months," he told reporters at Menara KBS, here Tuesday. Earlier, Khairy witnessed the exchange of documents between Ajinomoto Co Inc represented by Corporate Vice President (General Manager Asean) Kaoru Kuashima and Malaysia SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC) chief executive officer Zolkples Embong. Khairy said the sponsorship from a Japanese company showed that the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games had a high value that can be used as a platform by international companies to promote and market their products. Also present were Ajinomoto (Malaysia) chairman Mohamed Hashim Mohd Ali and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tunku Jaafar. -- BERNAMA