10/10/2024

SPORTS THURSDAY | OCT 10, 2024

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Japan set sights on Saudi Arabia Blue Samurai out to continue prolific start to World Cup preliminaries

SHORTS Zii Jia gets off to a winning start

PROFESSIONAL men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia began his Arctic Open title defence by ousting Frenchman Christo Popov 21-15, 21-11 at the Energia Areena in Vantaa, Finland yesterday. The world No. 4 needed 43 minutes to clear the first hurdle of the World Tour Super 500 event. In the second round, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist is set to face Japan’s Yushi Tanaka, who beat China’s Lei Lan Xi 21-17, 27-29, 21-16. The 26-year-old Zii Jia clinched the title last October after beating compatriot Ng Tze Yong in the final to end his 17-month title drought on the World Tour. Since wining the Olympics bronze, Zii Jia suffered first-round eliminations in two consecutive World Tour events – the Japan Open and the China Open. However, Malaysia’s other men’s singles representative, Leong Jun Hao suffered a first-round exit after losing 19-21, 9-21 to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu. Cobra to finalise player lineup after Agong Cup THE Cobra Rugby Club will finalise its player lineup for the 2024 Cobra Rugby 10s Championship only after the conclusion of the 2024 Agong Cup Rugby Championship on Oct 27. Cobra Rugby Club president Darryll Sinnappa said that, so far, it can share that top national rugby player K. Dinesvaran, also known as Dugro, is unlikely to participate in this edition due to injury. “We are still in the selection process as the Agong Cup is still ongoing, so we cannot announce who will play. We will look at who is selected (based on the best performance) and who is not injured. “Those who make it to the final will be considered for the team. For the Cobra team, we will have 16 players, with 10 from Malaysia and the rest being international players,” he said yesterday. Cobra Rugby Club, one of the premier rugby clubs in Malaysia, announced that it will host the 51st edition of the Cobra 10s Championship on Nov 2 and 3 at the Astaka Field, Petaling Jaya. The tournament will feature 14 teams from nine countries - Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Malaysia. Besides the Cobra Rugby Club, other teams representing Malaysia are KL Tigers RFC, SSTMI Tsunami, and Royal Town Warriors. “Right now, we are focused on elevating the standard of elite teams in Malaysia, which is why we are taking four Malaysian rugby clubs to compete with international teams,” Darryll said.

J APAN face second-placed Saudi Arabia in Group C of Asia’s third round of World Cup preliminaries in Jeddah today looking to continue their prolific start as top-of-the-table clashes take centre stage across the continent. Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan

and fourth placed nations progress to a further round. Teams in the fifth and six spots are eliminated. Moriyasu’s Japan squad is largely unchanged for the meeting with the Saudis, who will be without Mohammed Kanno after the midfielder was sent off in their last-gasp 2-1 win over China in Dalian last month.

difference, with Iraq joining their fellow west Asians and South Korea on four points. Jesus Casas’ Iraq side will host Palestine in Basra with Oman, under new coach Rashid Jaber, taking on Kuwait, who drew their opening fixtures against Jordan and Iraq. Group A leaders Uzbekistan face Iran in Tashkent with both teams on six points after their first two games to open up a three-point gap over the United Arab Emirates. The Paulo Bento-coached Emiratis host North Korea while back-to-back Asian Cup winners Qatar will be looking for their first win when Kyrgyzstan visit Doha. – Reuters

arrive in the Gulf state having handed out thrashings to China and Bahrain, scoring 12 times in the previous window to sound a warning to the sides chasing one of two automatic World Cup berths available from Group C. Australia, under new coach Tony Popovic, entertain China in Adelaide while Bahrain host Indonesia but all are in the shadow of a dominant Japan team that are already favourites to secure qualification for an eighth consecutive World Cup. The top two finishers in each of Asia’s three groups in this phase of the preliminaries secure direct passage to the finals while the third

T h a t victory, secured through a pair of headers

from Hassan Kadesh, added some gloss to an uneven window for Roberto Mancini’s team and has left the Saudis two points adrift of today’s opponents Japan. “As we’ve always done, we’ll prepare the best we can to win each match,” Moriyasu said. “The hardest thing is the battle against the heat. Whether we can perform to our level will be key.” South Korea will take on Group B leaders Jordan without their injured captain Son Heung-min with coach Hong Myung-bo aiming to build on a 3-1 win over Oman last month having seen his side draw 0-0 with Palestine in Seoul on Sept 5. Jordan, who beat the

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Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu. – REUTERSPIC

RM3,443,197.40

Koreans in the Asian Cup semifinals in February, lead the standings on goal

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1450 + 1404 1404 + 1450 7938 + 1450

PSM places high hopes on Budget 2025

RM118,301.54

SEPAKTAKRAW Association of Malaysia (PSM) president, Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan hopes that Budget 2025 will provide a fresh boost to the development of sepaktakraw in the country. He emphasised the importance of government funding to ensure that the traditional sport continues to grow and gain a place in the hearts of Malaysians, especially among the Malay community. “Of course, I hope this budget will focus on the development of sepaktakraw. The sport is gaining popularity and showing rapid progress. We are also preparing for several major tournaments. “And I hope there will be an allocation for the setting up of a sepaktakraw academy starting from now, as we will surely see results in two to three years,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday. He added that without government assistance for the development and establishment of a national sepaktakraw academy, plans to further expand the sport, which is highly popular among

Saarani expressed hope that all Sukma and Para Sukma athletes will continue to improve their performance to ensure even greater success, both nationally and internationally. “This achievement is not the end of our journey. Instead, it is the starting point for us to achieve even more glorious victories in the future. “I also want to emphasise that sports are not just about medals and victories. It instills values of perseverance, teamwork, and integrity. These are the values that should be embedded within each individual,” he said. – Bernama Malays and at the grassroots level, would be hindered. Meanwhile, Mohd Sumali also hopes that the construction of a sepaktakraw stadium will be given serious consideration in Budget 2025. “We are not asking for a very large stadium that requires a huge budget, just one with moderate capacity, and it could be named Stadium Sepaktakraw Malaysia,” he said. Additionally, he hopes that the achievements of the national squad in major tournaments, including the World Cup, will be a factor in the government giving attention to sepaktakraw in Budget 2025. Previously, PSM successfully organised the 2024 Sepaktakraw World Cup at Stadium Titiwangsa, where Malaysia won two gold medals in the men’s regu and doubles events, and the tournament attracted an impressive number of spectators. Budget 2025 will be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Finance Minister, in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 18. – Bernama

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RM9,833,723.06

RM209,572.72

Windfall for Perak Sukma, Para Sukma medal winners A TOTAL of RM1.102 million was awarded to Perak athletes who won medals at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Malaysia Para Games (Para Sukma) 2024, which took place in Sarawak. who participated in this edition can still compete in Sukma Selangor 2026,” he told reporters after attending the Sukma and Para Sukma Contingents Incentive Presentation Ceremony here last night.

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Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said out of the total, RM815,800 was allocated to Sukma athletes, while RM286,200 was awarded to Para Sukma athletes. “This edition of Sukma saw us record the highest medal tally in our participation outside of Perak. This is an incredibly proud achievement. “We also achieved the target of 35 gold medals, and interestingly, most of the athletes

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The Perak Sukma contingent won 35 gold, 38 silver, and 56 bronze medals, placing Perak in seventh position out of 15 competing states in the Games held from Aug 17 to Aug 24. As for the Para Sukma contingent, Perak ranked among the top five, winning 25 gold, 22 silver, and 20 bronze medals during the event held from Sept 22 to 28.

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