Wow! Singapore Badminton Player Gets IDR 2.1 Billion Bonus From Indonesian Conglomerate, Bachtiar Karim

JAKARTA – Bonuses worth billions of rupiah were received by Singaporean badminton player, Loh Kean Yew. Interestingly, this 24-year-old athlete received the prize from a conglomerate from Indonesia, Bachtiar Karim.

A total of 200 thousand Singapore dollars or Rp. 2.1 billion was given by Bachtiar through the Karim Foundation. The Karim Foundation contacted SPH Media Trust's Chinese Media Group to distribute the bonus to Kean Yew.

"Loh Kean Yew received a cash prize of 200,000 Singapore dollars from an Indonesian tycoon foundation," The Straits Times wrote in the title of the report quoted by VOI.

Yew received the bonus after winning the 2021 Badminton World Championships in Spain last December.

Yew won the inaugural title from the men's singles at the championship after defeating the representative of India, Kidambi Srikanth with a tight score, 21-15, 22-20.

"I feel Loh Kean Yew is an impressive young man. The competition among elite badminton is fierce. One needs not only good technique, but also a strong will to succeed," said Bachtiar's son, Chayadi Karim, who is head of the foundation. .

"He definitely has great potential to become one of the top players in the world. And especially to be the first badminton champion from Singapore, we really feel he is really extraordinary."

Bachtiar was included in the top 10 richest people in Indonesia according to Forbes in 2021. The 64-year-old entrepreneur was not previously on this list.

In the report, the United States-based magazine is estimated to have a total wealth of US$3.5 billion or Rp. 50 trillion assuming an exchange rate of Rp. 14,300 per US dollar.

This palm oil entrepreneur is known to be very generous. He once donated 2.27 million Singapore dollars to his alma mater National University of Singapore.

He also donated $5 million towards the construction of the Singapore General Hospital and the Alzheimer's Disease Association, in 2020.