KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — The national sepak takraw team may combine two players from this season’s Sepak Takraw League (STL) winning team with a player from another team in the men’s inter-regu event, at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September.
National head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said they are ready to use this ‘2+1’ formula given the two players from the champion team in the ongoing STL had a very good understanding, and the potential to give the national team an extra bite in the Asiad.
“Not impossible (for the STL champion) to be included in the national squad. We may take two from that team and combine them with another player from another team and turn them into a solid regu,” he said when met recently.
Last week, Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) president Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan set the target of defending the men’s regu gold medal at the 2022 Asiad to be held from September 28 to October 8.
In the 2018 edition in Indonesia, the national team ended their 24-year gold medal drought by downing the hosts 2 – 1 in the final.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Jais said PSM’ recent reinstatement as an affiliate of the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation (Astaf) marked a positive development for the sport.
In May 2021 Astaf terminated the affiliation of PSM, following the action of its former president Datuk Seri Ahmad Ismail in sending letters to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in his capacity as the Astaf deputy president on February 24, 2021.
PSM submitted an application to Astafin in March 2022 and again in December, urging the federation to accept PSM as an affiliate to gain recognition at the international level but was turned down.
— Bernama
