| Lyna Mohamad |
HE FAILED to make it to the final of the 2016 Euro Guess the Semi-Finalists contest, but that did not deter Chan Koo Boon from trying his luck once again in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Guess the Semi-Finalists Contest. This time, it turned out to be a success for the local doctor who picked the right key to win the grand prize, a Hyundai Verna.
“Prior to this, I did attempt the 2016 Euro Guess the Semi-Finalists contest. That time I got three out of four correct, so I thought I will give it another try this time to try my luck and now I have ended up with this big prize. I feel so happy, and this will be the third car for my family,” said an elated Chan.
Chan, who is attached to the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital since 2005 and is currently away on overseas training, said, “I am a supporter of the FIFA World Cup, and although I had no favourite team in mind, I hoped Brazil or France will win the tournament.
“World Cup this time around was quite unpredictable; many of the expected teams to win were knocked out in the early stages. Even this contest was a bit tricky and in the end I had to use some permutations to win it.”
Asked what his feeling was when he tried the second round of attempting to get the right key to the Verna, he noted that there was no special instinct and he was practically just cool about it. “If it’s mine then it’s to be mine, and upon hearing the engine of the Verna roar, I was shocked and happy at the same time.”
The contest, held from the first week of June until June 29, was organised by Brunei Press, the publishers of Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata, with support from main sponsor Hyundai – Setia Motors Sdn Bhd and co-sponsors Baiduri Bank and McDonald’s-Makan Ceria Sdn Bhd.
The draw and prize presentation took place yesterday at the Millennium Restaurant in Beribi.
The top 13 selected winners stood a chance to win the grand prize of a new Hyundai Verna SX16 worth about BND28,000 sponsored by Setia Motors, the local Hyundai dealer.
They were given a key each and the lucky person able to start the car would drive away the Verna – that was the challenge. The session saw two rounds of tryouts where in the first round the right key to the Verna was not put in the bowl of keys to add suspense to the draw.
Representing Brunei Press at the prize presentation ceremony were its General Manager Reggie See, Deputy General Manager Hazizah Osman and Senior Manager – Finance and Operations Suzie Houng.
Setia Motors was represented by its General Manager James Chin and Business Development Manager Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Mui’iz bin Pengiran Indera Setia Diraja Sahibul Karib Pengiran Anak Haji ldris while Head of Group Communications Dorothy Newn represented Baiduri Bank and Human Resource Executive of Makan Ceria Noor Hafilah binti Mohd Salleh represented McDonald’s.
In his welcoming remarks prior to the draw and prize presentation, Reggie See noted that it was for the first time FIFA World Cup was held in Eastern Europe, and the most expensive edition in the history of the tournament which cost an estimated USD14.2 billion.
“The football spectacle also for the first time saw the video assistant referee (VAR) system to assist the referee during the match, with many penalties awarded for handballs, rough play and goalmouth actions, making the matches exciting and their outcomes unpredictable,” he said.
The general manager further noted that being a popular event watched around the world, the FIFA World Cup 2018 was also closely followed by many football enthusiasts in Brunei and that is why the Guess the Semi-Finalists Contest attracted more than 20,000 entries from readers of Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata, though only about one per cent guessed correctly the four semi-finalists.
He expressed his appreciation to all the participants and also the management and representatives of Setia Motors, Baiduri Bank and Makan Ceria for making the contest a big success.
He highlighted that Setia Motors has also supported the Guess the Semi-Finalists contests organised by Brunei Press during the Euro 2004, FIFA 2006 World Cup, Euro 2012 and World Cup Brazil 2014.
Yesterday’s event also saw the presentation of prizes to winners of the second and third spots – Noormasnalina binti Haji Abu Bakar and Sabtu bin Kassim – who won Baiduri Savings account worth BND3,000 and BND2,000, respectively.
Three groups of consolation prize winners, meanwhile, walked away with McDonald’s vouchers and Hyundai merchandise.
In total, 63 prizes were given away for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Guess the Semi-Finalists contest.
The winning entries were selected by representatives of Brunei Press, the organiser, Setia Motors (Hyundai), the contest partner, Baiduri Bank and Makan Ceria Sdn Bhd (McDonald’s), prize sponsors.