18/07/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | JULY 18, 2025

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Azriyn-Wee Kiong storm into Japan Open quarters DYNAMIC national men’s doubles pair Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong caused a major upset at the Japan Open when they knocked out former world champions Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen to book a quarterfinal berth at the Japan Open yesterday. The pair, who are ranked world No. 30 in the men’s doubles, defeated US duo Chen Zhi Yi Presley Smith in three games. Yew Sin-Ee Yi took 55 minutes to win 19-21, 21-14, 21-19 in the second round match played at the Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo.

against the reigning Badminton Asia Championships champions in style. In another all-Malaysian showdown, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun took 42 minutes to subdue Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King, 30-28, 21-12. However, Yew Sin-Ee Yi will have a tough hurdle to clear in the quarterfinals as they will take on the world No. 6 pair from China, Liang We Keng-Wang Chang. The Chinese pair beat India’s Chiraq Shetty Satwiksairaj Renkireddy 24-22, 21-14. – Bernama/Agencies

Yesterday’s win comes a day after they sent compatriots and world No. 2 men’s pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik packing in the opening round. It was sweet revenge for Yew Sin-Ee Yi, who finally broke their three-match losing streak

The world No. 23 pair took more than an hour to win the hard-fought battle against the world No. 4 Danes with a score of 21-16, 15-21, 21-19. Another Malaysian men’s doubles pair, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, also qualified for the quarterfinals yesterday, a first in their careers.

YOUTH AND SPORTS MINISTER Hannah Yeoh (pic) agrees with the decision by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to withdraw from the 2025 Central Asian Football Association (Cafa) Nations Cup scheduled to take place from Aug 29 to Sept 8. She said the decision was undoubtedly made based on thorough consideration by the national team’s coaches and management, particularly concerning player readiness. “When it comes to Malaysia’s participation in any tournament, what matters most is whether the athletes and coaches are prepared,” she told reporters after officiating the 2025 Asia Pickleball Summit in Petaling Jaya yesterday. “I have read the coach’s (Peter Cklamovski) statement and I believe he knows best about the team’s preparations. I accept and respect the reasons given by the coach and the association.” In a statement yesterday, FAM said the decision to withdraw was due to a change in match dates, which now fall outside the official Fifa international window, presenting challenges on multiple fronts for the national squad as clubs are not obligated to release their players. Additionally, Harimau Malaya head coach Cklamovski said the withdrawal was the right move, with the team set to focus fully on their training camp ahead of crucial matches against Laos and Nepal in October and November. However, Cafa, in a statement on Wednesday, said Harimau Malaya’s late withdrawal has caused certain disruptions to the ongoing organisational processes, particularly given the advanced stage of planning and preparations. As Cafa are aware the reason from the FAM that the tournament does not fully fall within the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) window (Sept 1-9) which caused the restrictions of players availability, it said the final registration of players can actually be submitted on a match-by-match basis. “As per the tournament regulations, the final registration of players – selected from a preliminary list of 35 – can be submitted on a match-by-match basis. “This allows for maximum flexibility, including the possibility of key players joining the team for subsequent matches,” it said in a statement on Wednesday night. Cafa also said that previously Malaysia’s participation had been confirmed well in advance, with full awareness of the tournament dates as well as schedule and those dates had never been changed from the beginning. Despite Malaysia’s withdrawal, Cafa remained committed to delivering a high quality and competitive tournament for the people of Central Asia and beyond. “We thank all participating nations for their continued support and cooperation,” it said. World No. 125 Malaysia are supposed to play in Group B with the hosts, Tajikistan, reigning champion Iran and Afghanistan. Group A will feature co-hosts Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Oman. – Bernama Cklamovski, FAM know best

High expectations BAM boss to unveil strategic plan to elevate Malaysian badminton B ADMINTON Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz is set to unveil his strategic vision to elevate Malaysian country. Asked whether if he had met all stakeholders, Tengku Zafrul said discussions are ongoing and will include official calls on the Youth and Sports Ministry including its minister Hannah Yeoh, National Sports Council, and national coaches by end of the month.

remain high among the public and stakeholders, and meeting those expectations would need a unified approach, structured planning and a clear understanding of current capabilities. In a separate development, Yeoh said Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has yet to contact her ministry or the National Sports Institute (ISN) regarding any support needs, including mental health or psychological counselling. However, she confirmed that Zii Jia’s camp had reached out to the National Sports Council (MSN) merely to clarify that there was no cause for concern regarding a drawing he posted on Instagram , which had raised concerns about possible signs of depression. “So far, Zii Jia has not discussed any request for support with me. I want to give him space, and if he needs any assistance, he knows he has my number. I’m confident he’ll reach out if necessary,” she said.

Harimau Muda pledge to bounce back NATIONAL U-23 squad head coach, Nafuzi Zain is optimistic that Malaysia will bounce back to win the second Group A match of the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta against Brunei today. He said his boys have put away the 0-2 defeat to the Philippines in the opening day match and they are now looking forward to getting all three points in an effort to revive their chances of reaching the semifinals. “The players are still in high morale and they regret the recent defeat but they promised to bounce back with a victory against Brunei,”he said in a video shared by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to the media yesterday. He said Malaysia, however, did not want to underestimate the capabilities of the Brunei U-23 squad, which also failed to pick up any points after being thrashed by hosts, Indonesia 0-8 in another Group A match. “It is true that Brunei lost by a big margin to Indonesia, but my focus is only on the team’s preparation. If we don’t play well even against a weak team, we will not be able to win,“ he said. Harimau Muda are currently third in Group A without any points, behind Indonesia (3pts) in first place and Philippines (3pts) in second. ITOs reflect close ties in sepak takraw THE appointment of nine international technical officials (ITOs) from Malaysia to serve at the 38th Thai King’s Cup Sepaktakraw World Championship, to be held in Hatyai from July 22 to 27, reflects the close ties between the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation (Astaf) and the Sepak badminton by the end of next month. Tengku Zafrul, who was elected unopposed to the post in May, has since embarked on a series of engagement sessions with key stakeholders including former players, to gather input and conduct a full stocktake of the current badminton ecosystem. Describing the engagement sessions as quite productive, the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said the positive response from various quarters shows a shared desire to improve the sport. “They (stakeholders) have different views but the fact that they want to share means they want to see improvement in the sport. “I think it (plan) cannot be overnight, but at least we have targets for the next three years, the next five years and the next 10 years,” he said during a session with media in Petaling Jaya yesterday. In May, Tengku Zafrul requested a 100-day period to gather input from stakeholders, players, the coaching team, and sponsors before formulating a strategic and effective plan for the development of badminton in the SHORTS

When asked about key area he aims to address in steering BAM forward, he said it is important to understand the current landscape before mapping out long-term goals. “To understand where you want to go, you must understand where you are today. To know where you are today means you have to do a stock-take from finance to the governance structure, to the players, to the coaches,” he said. Tengku Zafrul said that each segment of the national badminton ecosystem including sponsorship, grassroots development, infrastructure and coaching must

Zii Jia has withdrawn from the 2025 Japan Open (July 15– 20) and the 2025 China Open (July 22–27), but no official statement has been issued by him regarding the withdrawals. – Bernama

be assessed and improved cohesively, as progress in one area cannot compensate for weaknesses in others. He added that expectations for Malaysian badminton

Nafuzi Zain. – BERNAMAPIC

Takraw Federation of Malaysia (PSM). Astaf Technical Vice-Chairman Syed Azmir Syed Ahmad, who is among the appointed officials for the tournament, said the number of Malaysian ITOs was the highest compared to other countries, which mostly have only one representative each. He said the outstanding leadership and governance of PSM under Mohd Sumali has elevated Malaysia’s image in the sport through this recognition. “May the strong relationship between Datuk Abdul Halim Kader (Astaf president) and Datuk Mohd Sumali drive sepak takraw towards greater excellence on the world sporting stage,” he said in a statement yesterday. WUG opens in understated splendour IN a modest yet deeply meaningful opening ceremony, the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 World University Games (WUG) unfolded in spectacular fashion at the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena in Duisburg,

Germany on Wednesday night (early Thursday morning Malaysian time). Without extravagant performances or over the-top gimmicks, the approximately three-hour event took spectators on a journey of history, unity and hope for a more harmonious future through the power of sport. The ceremony was also enriched with dynamic musical performances and contemporary dance routines, blending modern artistic expressions with cultural heritage to energise the crowd and highlight the creativity of the younger generation. The iconic Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, home to football in Duisburg, was transformed into a vibrant cultural stage as thousands of athletes and officials from over 150 countries proudly paraded into the stadium, including the Malaysian contingent. A total of 19 sports are being contested at Games, which offer 234 gold medals. Malaysia, targeting seven medals, are fielding 64 athletes in six sports, namely artistic gymnastics, badminton, archery, athletics, swimming and taekwondo.