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Dr. Ramlan Aziz (kanan) berbincang dengan pemain-pemain badminton negara semasa meninjau latihan mereka di Bukit Kiara, semalam. KUALA LUMPUR - Ketika ada pihak mula mempersoalkan sejauh mana komitmen Datuk Lee Chong Wei apabila beraksi pada Sukan SEA bulan depan, jurulatih perseorangan negara, Datuk Misbun Sidek tidak mahu perkara itu dijadikan isu. Ada yang menganggap pemain No. 1 dunia itu beraksi di Laos dalam keadaan terpaksa selepas hajat untuk berehat tidak mendapat restu Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM). Tegas Misbun, Chong Wei bukan jenis pemain yang mengambil mudah apa saja kejohanan yang disertai, tidak kira ia besar atau kecil, apatah lagi temasya yang melibatkan maruah negara seperti Sukan SEA. Malah, jelas beliau, pemain itu juga sebenarnya tidak berniat hendak menarik diri, cuma dia meluahkan keletihan dalam bentuk yang mungkin disalah tafsir. "Chong Wei akan memberikan yang terbaik pada Sukan SEA kerana dia sedar akan komitmennya terhadap negara selain men

SANDARAN MALAYSIA... Barisan pemain lelaki badminton negara yang akan beraksi pada temasya Sukan SEA di Laos bulan depan. " KAMI ada 'strategi rahsia' untuk memburu pingat emas pada Sukan SEA di Laos bulan depan." Demikian kata Pengurus Besar Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM), Kenny Goh mengenai strategi mereka menghadapi cabaran pada temasya dwitahunan itu. Menurutnya, mereka tidak meletakkan pemain mana yang bakal menyerlah kerana ia boleh menghadirkan tekanan. "Kami mempertaruhkan pingat kepada semua pemain dan tidak memberi fokus kepada seseorang pemain sahaja. "Kalau kita meletakkan seorang pemain dengan prospek emas, sudah pasti negara lain (lawan) akan memberi tumpuan kepada pemain tersebut. "Biarlah kami simpan strategi rahsia ini dalam misi memburu pingat emas untuk negara," katanya. Kenny berkata, pihaknya tetap mensasarkan dua pingat emas meskipun ada yang membuat andaian skuad badminton mampu mendapat lebih daripada itu.

SASARAN melihat sekurang kurangnya dua kilauan pingat emas daripada acara badminton Sukan Sea 2009 di Laos, bulan depan bukan sesuatu yang sukar, apa lagi Malaysia memiliki ramai pemain bertaraf dunia yang mampu merealisasikan impian berkenaan. Malah, Malaysia dilihat berpeluang mengutip lebih daripada sasaran yang telah digariskan sekiranya mereka mampu untuk mengimbangi tekanan ketika beraksi di gelanggang dan tidak menghadapi masalah berhadapan sorakan padu penonton di gelanggang pertarungan nanti. Bagi Chef de Mission negara, Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz sudah pasti harapan tinggi diletakkan buat skuad badminton negara yang dilihat antara sukan yang mampu melakukan kejutan apa lagi inilah peluang buat setiap jaguh negara membuktikan kemampuan mereka kepada negara. “Lakukanlah yang terbaik, dan segalanya akan menjadi lebih mudah sekiranya pemain mampu meredakan tekanan ketika dalam gelanggang. “Kekuatan pemain yang

KUALA LUMPUR - Fairuzizuan Tazari- Zakry Latif menerima khabar gembira semalam apabila mendapat tiket untuk beraksi pada Kejohanan Badminton Siri Super Masters Akhir di Johor Bahru, minggu depan. Penyertaan beregu No. 11 dunia itu disahkan Persekutuan Badminton Dunia (BWF) bagi menggantikan pasangan Indonesia, Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan yang menarik diri. Indonesia membatalkan penyertaan pemain-pemain kebangsaannya pada kejohanan bernilai AS$500,000 (RM1.7 juta) itu untuk memberi tumpuan kepada Sukan SEA di Laos, 9-18 Disember. Bagaimanapun, pemain yang tidak berada di bawah naungan Persatuan Bulu Tangkis Seluruh Indonesia (PBSI) iaitu juara Olimpik 2004, Taufik Hidayat dan beregu Alvent Yulianto akan beraksi. China, yang turut memilih untuk merehatkan pemain-pemain utamanya bagaimanapun tetap menghantar pemain No. 8 dunia, Bao Chunlai, Lu Lan (perseorangan wanita) dan Guo Zhendong-Xu Chen dalam beregu lelaki. Ketiadaan pemain-pemain utama China dan Indonesia turut membawa khabar

SKUAD golf negara sudah bersedia untuk merealisasikan impian meraih pingat emas di Laos bulan depan. SKUAD golf negara berada pada landasan terbaik untuk merangkul pingat emas pada Sukan SEA 2009 di Laos bulan depan. Prestasi empat pemain lelaki, Nicholas Fung Chee Yung, Gavin Kyle Green, Mohamad Iszaimi Ismail dan Mohamad Iylia Jamil serta tiga pemain wanita, Ainil Johani Abu Bakar, Kelly Tan Guet Chen dan Michelle Koh Lay Sia berada pada tahap yang sangat memuaskan. Naib Presiden Persatuan Golf Malaysia (MGA), Mohd. Yaacob Mohd. Kassim yang merupakan pengurus skuad negara ke Sukan SEA berkata, pemain negara mampu melakukan kejutan dalam misi meraih emas. Kali terakhir Malaysia merangkul pingat emas acara golf ialah pada Sukan SEA 2001 di Kuala Lumpur. "Prestasi tujuh pemain negara kini berada pada landasan terbaik. Kita yakin untuk mencipta kejutan dengan memenangi pingat emas acara berpasukan lelaki dan pingat perak atau gangsa acara berpasukan wanita. "Selain

SEJAK bertanding dalam acara memanah di Sukan Sea 1977 di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tidak pernah memenangi pingat emas sehingga menamatkan kemarau itu di Hanoi pada 2003. Sejak itu, skuad memanah negara tidak lagi menoleh ke belakang apabila sentiasa meletakkan diri dalam senarai emas dengan meraih tiga emas di Manila 2005 dan kemudian Korat 2007. Kejayaan itu menunjukkan program pembangunan yang dimulakan Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) membuahkan hasil dan Malaysia mula digeruni di rantau ini dengan memecahkan dominasi pemanah Indonesia dan kali ini di Vientiane, skuad pemanah negara mahu mengulangi pencapaian yang sama. Di bawah teraju dari Korea Selatan, Lee Jae-hyung, yang menjulang nama pemanah negara di persada antarabangsa, Sukan Sea Vientiane menjadi satu lagi medan untuk ditawan dengan anak buahnya sudah melakukan persiapan yang cukup rapi. “Sasaran kita ialah untuk mengulangi pencapaian lalu di Korat iaitu d

KUALA TERENGGANU - Nurul Elia Anuar dari pasukan Sail Putrajaya meneruskan kemaraan ke saingan separuh akhir Kejohanan Kapal Layar Piala Monsun (kelayakan Malaysia) di Pulau Duyong, semalam. Turut ke separuh akhir ialah juragan pasukan Taring Pelangi, Hazwan Hazim Dermawan, Mohammad Razali Mansor dari Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) 1 dan Jeremy Koo dari pasukan Koo Racing Team-AC Law. Kesemua mereka mengutip mata terbanyak dalam perlumbaan satu lawan satu pada pusingan timbal balik berbanding sembilan peserta lain. Jeremy berjaya mengumpul 11 mata manakala Mohamad Razali serta Nurul Elia masing-masing memperoleh 10 mata dan Hazwan Hazim pula lapan mata. Dalam saingan separuh akhir yang akan bermula pukul 10 pagi hari ini, setiap pelayar akan bertemu sesama sendiri dalam tiga perlumbaan dan mereka yang memperoleh mata terbanyak akan mara ke pusingan akhir. Jeremy akan bertemu Hazwan Hazim manakala Nurul Elia akan menentang Mohammad Razali dalam separuh akhir. Jeremy ketika ditemu

ANGKAT berat boleh dianggap sebagai 'penumpang' ke Sukan SEA di Laos, Disember ini. Istilah 'penumpang' sering digunakan oleh peminat sukan tempatan kepada persatuan yang tidak menjanjikan apa-apa kejayaan kepada negara. Mungkin itu lebih sesuai diberikan kepada skuad angkat berat negara yang tidak berani meletakkan sebarang sasaran pada temasya di Laos itu. Mereka hanya menjadikan Sukan SEA Laos sebagai medan menimba pengalaman sedangkan Ketua Kontinjen Malaysia, Datuk Dr. Ramlan Abd. Aziz sudah berulang kali menegaskan bahawa ini bukan masa untuk mencari pengalaman. DARI kiri, Nurul Farhanah, Mohd. Faiz dan Arisha Farah kini giat berlatih menjelang Sukan SEA di Laos bulan depan. Begitupun, 'badang-badang' negara itu tidak mahu dilabel seperti itu kerana mereka juga mempunyai tanggungjawab untuk dibereskan di Laos kelak. Bukan 'penumpang' tetapi kami tidak mahu terlalu yakin kerana ia sekadar menghadirkan tekanan," kata 'badang-badang

QUALIFYING for the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore is proving to be tougher than the Olympic Games itself after the Malaysian junior archery and hockey squads came a cropper in recent qualification tournaments. Only continental champions will qualify for most of the 26 sports to be featured at the inaugural Under-18 multi-event sporting event modelled on the Olympic Games. This is mainly due to the restriction to the total number of competitors for the Games with only five qualifying spots available for hockey while the archery field comprises 24 archers only. Hockey failed to qualify after finishing runners- up to Pakistan at the Under-18 Asia Cup in Yangon while the archers failed to make the cut at the Asian Cadet Championships in Bali. But National Sports Council director- general Datuk Zolkples Embong is not pressing the panic button yet as a number of sports have yet to hold their qualification competitions. “This is the first time this event is being held

By AFTAR SINGH KUALA LUMPUR: Pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu has come under fire for her uninspiring performances in the last few meets. And national chief coach Hanapiah Nasir said that she had to redeem herself by retaining the SEA Games title in Laos. The 27-year-old Kedahan has failed miserably in three meets this year. Roslinda Samsu She holds the national record of 4.40m but failed to clear the starting height of 3.80m in the Taiwan Open in August. At the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil last month, she again failed to clear the starting height of 3.90m. Two weeks ago at the Asian Track and Field (ATF) meet in Guangzhou, Roslinda failed in the defence of the title, clearing 3.60m for fifth place. She had won the gold medal in the 2007 meet in Jordan with a height of 4.20m. Hanapiah said that he was disappointed with Roslinda’s performances. “She was in tears after failing to win a medal in the ATF meet,” said Hanapiah. “She apologised for her poor form. I warned

By K.M. Boopathyboopathy@nst.com.my LEE Chong Wei's title defence in the World Super Series Masters looks good but South Koreans Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae will be the stumbling blocks again for Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in Johor Baru beginning Wednesday. Chong Wei should have a field day as Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia are his strongest challengers in the Super Series Masters. The other players who will be seeing action are Park Sung Hwan of South Korea, China's Bao Chunlai, Jan Jorgensen of Denmark, Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand and Hsieh Yu Hsin of Taiwan. The absence of Olympic champion Lin Dan of China and his compatriot Chen Jin, as well as Indonesians Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso will surely make the Super Series Masters a dull affair but Chong Wei will not be complaining. Lin Dan is probably the only player capable of upstaging Chong Wei at the moment and the latter can now be relieved that a secon

By SHAMSHUL FITRI KUALA LUMPUR: A difficult journey awaits the Malaysia tennis players in the Laos SEA Games but a podium finish is still locked in their sights. Malaysia have never won gold in SEA Games tennis and their best result was a silver in 2001 in Kuala Lumpur. At the last Games in Korat in 2007, Malaysia won the bronze through the women’s team, who were beaten by Thailand in the semi-finals. National player Adam Jaya said that they were bent on giving their best in the Laos Games and hopefully it will be enough to get them a medal. Sweating it out: Adam Jaya (left) Si Yew Ming training at the National Tennis Complex in Jalan Duta Wednesday. — MOHD SAHAR MISNI / The Star “It will be difficult for us because Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines have many good players. But if the draws are favourable to us, we may get a shot at the bronze in the team event,” he said. On a personal note, the 23-year-old Adam hopes that he will be able to get a repeat of h

By Ajitpal Singhajitpalsingh@nst.com.my SITI Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, after a series of excellent results, is the new Asian No 2 women bowler. Siti Safiyah earned 294 points after winning the World Ranking Masters in May. She also finished with a bronze in the recent AMF World Cup in Malacca. The 19-year-old is just 5.5 points behind leader Chan Shuk Han of Hong Kong while her compatriot Vanessa Fung is third with 276 points. Siti Safiyah could leapfrog Shuk Han provided she does well in the Penang International Open next month. Former national bowler Tang Joh Six is fifth with 258 points. The 27-year-old won three titles this year including the ABF Tour's Tournament of Champions and the Thailand Open. Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani and Shalin Zulkifli are 14th and 15th respectively, on the ABF rankings. Meanwhile, Zulmazran Zulkifli is the only Malaysian bowler ranked on the men's rankings. Zulmazran, who won this year's Malaysia Open

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- National and former athletes have been urged to join a group insurance scheme or set up a welfare body to look after them during retirement. Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim this was necessary as the National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) which presently cared for athletes had limited resources. "The athletes can subscribe to a group insurance scheme like that in schools or set up a welfare body," he said after visiting former national footballer Santokh Singh at Kuala Lumpur Hospital here Wednesday. Santokh who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ten days ago due to a viral infection would be transferred to the ordinary ward as his condition had improved. Razali said it was up to national athletes to take the initiative to look after their own welfare as the ministry did not have a specific welfare scheme for them. -- BERNAMA

INTERNATIONAL federations (IFs) must begin playing more significant roles in ensuring the development and improvement of national sports associations (NSAs). Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja ’afar said this collaboration is the key towards not only ensuring that development is sustained, but towards better governance and independence. This was a point Tunku Imran stressed upon when he delivered his keynote address at the Sports Asia 2009 forum in Kuala Lumpur ye s t e r d ay. “It is not just about monetary assistance, but more of an effort to ensure that officials in the NSAs continue to upgrade their knowledge about the sport and take up new skills,” said Tunku Imran. “In the long run, this will also benefit the IFs, since their representation is made up of those from the NSAs.” Tunku Imran also touched on issues surrounding the development of youth, and how sports event organisers should make sports more attractive for th

By LIM TEIK HUAT PETALING JAYA: Adiq Husainie Othman (pic) is the country’s first World Junior Championship medal winner in track cycling but coach John Beasley feels that his prospect to be a top rider was better on the road. Although the 18-year-old continued to show his potential on track with an impressive performance in the second leg of the Track World Cup in Melbourne last week, Beasley is keen to let him go for a pre-season road training in Europe with an eye on a strong campaign in the Tour of Langkawi next year. Adiq, who has been with Australian professional continental team Drapac-Porsche in Melbourne for the last two months, competed in the points race in the second leg of the World Cup. He won his qualifying heat en route to a 10th place finish in the final. He also made the scratch race final in the first leg in Manchester last month. Adiq first made his mark on the track with a bronze medal effort at the world junior meet in Moscow in August. He f

IT has been two decades since Malaysia won the football gold medal at the biennial Sea Games with the calamitous campaigns since those heady days well documented. One debacle after another has followed the national team with every Sea Games since Trevor Hartley’s men last mounted the top of the podium in 1989 invariably costing the national coach his job. Only Allan Harris survived the cull when he guided the Under-23 side to the final in 2001. So there is no particular reason to think that K. Rajagobal’s Under-23 side will end Thailand’s hegemony at the latest edition in Vientiane, Laos next month, such are the low expectations of the public. But with the Under-23 squad now virtually the flagbearers of the senior national team, there is much faith placed in this batch of players by the FA of Malaysia (FAM). They certainly do not lack exposure having played countless international friendly matches and two competitive outings against Uzbekistan in the Asian Cup qualifier

Dr. Ramlan Aziz memberikan amanat kepada atlet-atlet pentanque di Kompleks Sukan MSN, Kuala Lumpur, semalam. - UTUSAN/Mohd. Naim Aziz KUALA LUMPUR - Sukan SEA bukan temasya kelas rendah dan ia tidak sepatutnya dianggap sebagai medan pendedahan, tegas Ketua Kontinjen negara, Datuk Dr. Ramlan Aziz. Dr. Ramlan yang juga Ketua Pengarah Institut Sukan Negara (ISN) turut menegur persatuan-persatuan sukan yang sering menggunakan alasan pendedahan apabila menghantar atlet muda atau muka baru pada temasya dwi tahunan itu. Katanya, mereka sepatutnya berfikiran positif dengan melihat ia sebagai langkah pertama untuk menuju ke peringkat lebih tinggi seperti Sukan Komanwel, Sukan Asia atau Sukan Olimpik. "Saya tidak terima kalau ada yang menganggap Sukan SEA sebagai temasya kelas rendah dan bila persatuan menghantar atlet muda atau muka baru, mereka selalu kata.. tiada sasaran ia cuma pendedahan. "Soal pendedahan tidak timbul di sini. Kalau hendak pendedahan mereka boleh dapat dalam

By RAJES PAUL PETALING JAYA: Arif Farhan Ibrahim Putra’s first outing with the senior archers in a recurve team event got off to a miserable start in the Asian Cham­pionships in Bali last week. And the 18-year-old hopes to make a quick rebound in his SEA Games debut in Laos. Good guidance: Coach Lee Jae-hyung (left) giving pointers to Arif Farhan during a training session at the Bukit Jalil archery centre yesterday. — GLENN GUAN / The Star The Asian Championships was the first major international for Arif and he was in the team who were sent packing by Bangladesh in the opening round. The other members of the team were Cheng Chu Sian, Mohd Zulkifli Tahil and Wan Mohd Khalmizam Wan Mohd Aziz. Arif was picked to feature in the team event in favour of Olympian Khalmizam. Currently all the four archers are working hard to get their game going for the defence of the SEA Games team title. “The outing in Bali was a great exposure for me. The first-round defeat was hard

(dari kiri) Bibiana Ng, Joseline Cheah dan Nur Masitah Badrin yang akan bertarung di Sukan SEA Laos, bulan depan. KUALA LUMPUR - Persatuan Menembak Kebangsaan Malaysia (NSAM) memilih kualiti berbanding kuantiti apabila hanya menyenaraikan 14 penembak untuk Sukan SEA bulan depan. Walaupun jumlah penembak kali ini lebih kecil daripada skuad di Korat 2007, namun NSAM yakin untuk membawa pulang empat pingat emas daripada 10 acara yang akan disertai Malaysia - sekali ganda dari kutipan dua emas yang dimenangi dua tahun lalu. Kehadiran semula trio pistol wanita, Bibiana Ng, Joseline Cheah dan Nur Masitah Badrin dari penggantungan dua tahun banyak mempengaruhi sasaran tinggi badan menembak kebangsaan itu. Malah, NSAM turut mengakui kebanyakan sasaran mereka diletakkan kepada penembak wanita termasuk skuad raifal yang diketuai Nur Suryani Taibi. Suryani tidak pernah gagal menghadiahkan emas buat Malaysia pada setiap Sukan SEA yang disertai sejak 2001, malah turut meraih satu darip

By LIM TEIK HUAT PETALING JAYA: Wushu exponent Chai Fong Ying (pic) not only has to watch out for the foreign challengers but she also has to look out for the enemy within in her defence of the SEA Games title in Laos. Fong Ying returned home empty-handed from her third world championship campaign in Toronto last month. The 23-year-old not only failed to retain the women’s taijiquan title but she suffered the humiliation of being placed outside the top 10 in the event won by Indonesian Lindswell. Fellow Malaysian Ng Shin Yii just missed out on the bronze medal by 0.1 point in fourth place. However, Shin Yii was not to be denied a medal, taking the silver in the taijijian (taiji sword) discipline. Lindswell, who had already created history as the first Indonesian world wushu champion, took the bronze ahead of Fong Ying. Shin Yii was forced to switch to the taiji disciplines after a serious ankle injury three years ago and has certainly made big progress since then

ATLET paling senior dalam skuad pentanque, Normadiah Abdullah (tiga dari kiri) beramah mesra dengan rakan sepasukan selepas menjalani latihan persiapan Sukan SEA Laos di Kompleks Majlis Sukan Negara, Kuala Lumpur, semalam. KUALA LUMPUR - Walaupun lebih separuh daripada kontinjen negara bertanding atas kategori B dan hanya membuat penampilan pertama, namun petanque tetap menyasarkan dua pingat untuk dibawa pulang pada sukan SEA Laos, bulan depan. Persekutuan Petanque Malaysia (PPM) semalam menyenaraikan 27 atlet ke temasya 9-18 Disember itu, 14 daripadanya adalah muka baru yang ditanggung sendiri oleh persatuan. Malah, persiapan mereka juga tidak semewah kebanyakan sukan lain yang berpeluang beraksi dan berlatih di luar negara. Petanque, sebaliknya sekadar mengambil bahagian dalam satu kejohanan antarabangsa sepanjang tahun ini, dan selebihnya hanya berlatih dan bertanding dalam negara. "Saya boleh katakan, barisan atlet yang kita ada sekarang adalah yang terbaik sejak Malay

By AFTAR SINGH KUALA LUMPUR: Walker Norliana Mohd Rusni is not putting any hopes on winning a medal when she makes her maiden appearance in an international meet – at the Laos SEA Games. Norliana, who has a personal best of 1’52:14 for the 20km event, is just delighted to be in the team for the Games. The 19-year-old comes in as a replacement for five-time SEA Games champion Yuan Yufang, who is pregnant. “I have no experience in international competitions. I don’t stand a chance to get on the podium in the Laos Games,” she said. “But it will be a good experience for me to find out where I stand against walkers in the region. I will be more than happy if I can improve on my personal best.” Norliana is in the team as a Category B athlete as she did not meet the qualifying mark of 1’43:91, which was the silver medal-winning effort of the last Games in Korat in 2007. She has a personal best of 1’52:14 clocked at the Perlis Open in July. Coach Jagjit Singh said that Norli

JANGAN ada istilah sekadar ingin menimba pengalaman apabila pada Sukan SEA ke-25 di Laos bulan depan. Itu amaran Ketua Kontinjen negara, Datuk Dr. Ramlan Abd. Aziz kepada semua wakil negara yang akan beraksi pada temasya terbesar di Asia Tenggara itu bermula 9 hingga 18 Disember ini. Menurut Ramlan, Sukan SEA bukan lagi medan untuk menimba pengalaman sama ada seseorang itu atlet muda yang membuat penampilan pertama. Dr. Ramlan yang juga Ketua Pengarah Institut Sukan Negara (ISN) mendesak agar setiap atlet yang diberi peluang beraksi di Laos memberikan yang terbaik dan cuba untuk meraih keputusan yang paling memuaskan. "Bagi saya, istilah menimba pengalaman atau medan pendedahan bukanlah istilah yang sesuai digunakan pada temasya Sukan SEA ketika ini," katanya ketika melawat skuad petangue negara menjalani latihan di Kompleks Sukan Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) Taman Keramat semalam. "Meskipun terdapat ramai atlet muda yang baru pertama kali mewakili negara ke Sukan S

PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Kuan Beng Hong (pic ) is nursing a hamstring injury and may have to give up his place in the team for the Laos SEA Games. Beng Hong sustained the injury on the left leg during training earlier this month and he had to skip the Super Series Open tournaments in Hong Kong and China. National singles chief coach Rashid Sidek has put Chong Wei Feng on standby for SEA Games duty if Beng Hong fails to last the pace in training. Last week, Wei Feng won his first international Open title at the Malaysia International Challenge in Ipoh. “We will see how is his condition when he returns to training later this week,” said Rashid. “Wei Feng will be the replacement if Beng Hong cannot make the trip to Vientiane for the Games. Changes to the team can be made for medical reasons during the team managers’ meeting.” Besides Beng Hong, the other men’s singles players named in the team for the SEA Games are Lee Chong Wei, Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Liew Daren. And the t

KETUA Kontinjen Malaysia ke Sukan SEA Laos, Datuk Dr. Ramlan Abd. Aziz (kiri) menyampaikan kata-kata semangat kepada atlet petanque negara di Kompleks Sukan MSN, Taman Keramat, Kuala Lumpur semalam. SANDARAN NEGARA... Syafiq Abd. Razak (kanan) dan Firdaus Adli Bakri gigih menjalani latihan menjelang Sukan SEA bulan depan. SUKAN petanque bukanlah acara pilihan untuk menyumbang pingat emas buat kontinjen negara pada Sukan SEA ke-25 di Laos bulan depan. Begitupun, jurulatih negara, Zulkifli Salim mengakui ia sama sekali tidak mematahkan semangat juang anak buahnya untuk memberikan aksi terbaik apabila mula turun gelanggang pada 10 hingga 18 Disember ini. Malah Zulkifli juga mengakui, barisan skuad petanque negara tahun ini merupakan skuad terbaik yang pernah dimiliki sejak kali pertama Malaysia menyertai acara tersebut pada Sukan SEA 2001 di Kuala Lumpur. "Sememangnya kita tidak meletakkan harapan yang tinggi pada Sukan SEA di Laos tahun ini kerana kita sedar, kita berad

By LIM TEIK HUAT PETALING JAYA: It will be another major test of world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei’s resolve when he makes the attempts to retain the Super Series Masters Finals title and to win the SEA Games individual gold medal for the first time. Chong Wei has committed to play in the back-to-back competitions after discussions with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) management on his return from the China Open in Shanghai on Monday. A worried player: Chong Wei, who fears his knee will act up again, will be playing the Super Series Masters Finals and days later at the Laos SEA Games. National singles coach Rashid Sidek said that Chong Wei would travel with the badminton squad to Vientiane for the SEA Games as scheduled on Dec 8 after competing in the Masters Finals in Johor Baru. Chong Wei had expressed concerns as the SEA Games competitions (Dec 10-17) will be held four days after the completion of the Masters Finals (Dec 2-6). Having recovered fully from a

ELAINE (kiri) dan Chew Chan antara prospek emas dalam acara taekwondo pada Sukan SEA di Laos bulan depan. SKUAD teakwondo tidak ada sebab untuk gagal meraih pingat emas pada Sukan SEA Ke-25 di Laos, Disember ini. Meskipun badan induk sukan tersebut melalui pelbagai masalah dalaman kebelakangan ini, namun atlet yang diberi amanah menggalas cabaran negara tetap mendapat perhatian yang sewajarnya. Sebagai persediaan mencari emas di bumi Laos, atletnya di hantar menimba pengalaman di Korea Selatan. Pengurus pasukan, K.M. Rajendran berkata, atlet taekwondo sudah ebrada di Seoul sejak 13 November lalu dan sedang giat menjalani latihan di Universiti Nasional Seoul. Latihan pendedahan itu akan berakhir 3 Disember ini. Menurutnya, dia yakin atlet taekwondo negara akan lebih bersedia menghadapi cabaran di Laos kelak selepas menimba pengalaman beraksi dengan atlet atlet dari negara yang menguasai sukan taekwondo itu. "Kami memilih Korea Selatan kerana negara berkenaan telah terbukti

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 Nov (Bernama) -- Skuad pelayaran negara meletakkan sasaran untuk menjuarai acara individu dan berpasukan pada Kejohanan Optimist Asia Persatuan Perahu Layar Optimis Antarabangsa (IODA) yang akan berlangsung dari 12 hingga 20 Dis ini di Langkawi, Kedah. Pengerusi Persatuan Pelayaran Malaysia (MYA) Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim berkata Malaysia akan menghantar 14 orang atlet terbaik untuk bersaing pada kejohanan yang akan membabitkan 30 buah negara itu. "Sehingga kini hampir 140 atlet dari negara-negara yang merupakan kuasa dunia sukan ini telah mengesahkan penyertaan seperti Australia, New Zealand, Itali dan China," katanya kepada pemberita di sini Selasas. Muhammad Ali berkata adalah menjadi harapan MYA untuk atlet-atlet Malaysia dapat mempamerkan prestasi yang terbaik demi mengharumkan nama negara di dalam sukan ini di peringkat antarabangsa. "Serentak dengan itu juga, MYA akan menganjurkan Kejohanan Perahu Layar peringkat kebangsaan yang bermula dari

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- The athletics squad is sending the most number of back up athletes out of the 43 second echelon athletes who will be competing in the SEA Games in Laos next month. The National Sports Council's Back Up Athletes branch director Jefri Ngadirin of the said out of the 14 back up athletes the squad was sending, two were in category A and the rest in Category B. "Overall the national contingent to the Laos SEA Games will feature 43 back up athletes, 18 under Category A and 25 under Category B," he told Bernama here Tuesday. Malaysia's contingent to the Laos Games is 370-strong which is one of the smallest in the history of the biennial Games. Category A athletes are fully sponsored by the Olympic Council of Malaysia while athletes in Category B have to pay their own way but will get full refunds if they at leat win a silver. The karate squad is sending seven athletes all under Category A, weightlifting (two athletes under Category B), badmi

NICOL David had warned for a while now that her apparent invincibility was not something that would last forever. The world champion has said several times that the gap is closing between her and the rest of the Wispa Tour and her words rang true when Jenny Duncalf stunned Nicol for the second time in as many tournaments at the Qatar Classic semi-finals on Sunday. England's Jenny, who shocked Nicol for the first time in their 20 career meetings in New York earlier this month, repeated the feat in Doha with an 11-6, 2-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-6 win. Jenny joins Ireland's Madeline Perry and Natalie Grainger of the United States as the only players to have beaten Nicol in the last 24 months. Still, Nicol has won a tour-leading seven of the 11 Wispa events she played this year while compiling a 37-4 win-loss record, although the four defeats mark the first time she has lost that many matches in a season since 2005. It was only a day earlier, after her five-game win over England's Lau

By AFTAR SINGH KUALA LUMPUR: Youngster Norliana Mohd Rusni will replace Yuan Yufang for the women’s 20km walk event in the Laos SEA Games. The 33-year-old Yufang, who has been the gold medallist for five consecutive Games since 1999 in Brunei, will not make the trip to Vientiane because she is pregnant. The Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) president, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, said that the absence of Yufang meant that Malaysia had lost a sure bet for a gold medal. “We have decide to send Norliana to the Laos Games as she has the potential to be a good walker. She did not meet the qualifying mark (1’43:91) and will be in the team as a Category B athlete,” said Shahidan after the SEA Games selection committee meeting in Bukit Jalil yesterday. The 20-year-old walker from Negri Sembilan has a personal best of 1’52:14, which she posted in the Perlis Open in July. The MAAU would have to bear the expenses a Category B athlete and they will get a reimbursement from

P. CHANDRA SAGARAN MALAYSIA grabbed three of the five titles in the Proton Malaysia International Challenge badminton finals at Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh on Sunday. In the all-Malaysia men's singles final, back-up player and top seed Chong Wei Feng beat Chan Kwong Beng 21-17, 21-14 in 36 minutes. In the men's doubles, second seeds Lim Khim Wah-Chan Peng Soon grabbed the title when they outlasted Thailand's Isara Bodin-Jongjit Maneepong 22-20, 28-26. Unseeded Tan Wee Kiong-Woon Khe Wei were taken to three games before beating compatriots Mak Hee Chun-Ng Hui Lin 21-6, 13-21, 21-17 to win the mixed doubles title. Women doubles Woon Khe Wei-Chong Sook Chin, the top seeds, were beaten 21-18, 21-11 by unseeded Japanese pair Eto Rie-Wakita Yu in the final. It was an all-Thailand affair in the women's singled final with eighth seed Taerattanachai Sapsiree beating Intanon Ratchanok 21-11, 19-21, 22-20 for the title.

KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC) skippered by Rizal Mahadi Sazali took the lead on the first day of the Malaysian Match Racing Championships (MMRC) after picking up three wins from three races in the round robin competition here Monday. Rizal said he was a little surprised at picking up three wins, beating Duyong Heritage Sailing Team, Harimau Selatan and Team KBS. "We did not expect to win three races but nevertheless it puts us in a strong position to advance further in the championship," he told reporters here Monday. Another team representing RSYC, Team Viewpoint, also had a clean record when they won two races today after beating Duyong Heritage Sailing Club and Club Marina Terengganu. However, the highlight of the day was the victory of Sail Putrajaya Team, skippered by Nurul Elia Anuar, who convincingly defeated seasoned campaigners Malaysia Armed Forces 1 with Mohamad Razali Mansor at helm. Incidentally, Mohamad Razali was Nuru