01/01/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | JAN 1, 2026

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M alaysia is set to welcome 2026, packed with various prestigious sports events and championships, both at the inter national level and as a host, which are seen as capable of becoming an important plat form in the continued development of the coun try’s sports. The 2026 sports calendar, among others, features a series of high-impact events throughout the year, including sports events, world-class individual championships as well as a stage for the development of junior athletes, which collectively form a path for real evaluation of national sports policies and planning. At the global level, alpine skier Aruwin Idami Salehhuddin, who has confirmed her slot, will be representing the country at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy from Feb 6 to 22 with the aim of improving on her debut performance at the 2022 edition in Beijing, China. Malaysia is also expected to send athletes to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in Scotland from July 23 to Aug 2, as well as focus on the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games from Sept 19 to Oct 4 and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games from Oct 18 to 24. In addition, the national badminton squad is expected to participate in the World Championships in New Delhi, India from Aug 17 to 23, where mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie Toh Ee Wei will defend their historic title won this season. As hosts, Malaysia is scheduled to host the Malaysia Open badminton championship at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil here, from Jan 6 to 11, as well as the third round of the World Cup Track Championships from April 24 to 26 at the National Velodrome, Nilai. Malaysia will also host the Asean University Games (AUG) scheduled to be held at five universities around the Klang Valley from Dec 10 to 19.

Exciting year ahead Sports calendar to provide platform for elite athletes to shine, juniors to build reputation

RESULTS & STANDINGS

SIX outstanding juniors have been called up for centralised training with the national senior men’s hockey squad preparing for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in Ismailia, Egypt, scheduled to take place from March 1 to 7. The six players, who featured in the 2025 Men’s Junior World Cup in Chennai– Madurai, are goalkeeper Haziq Muizuddin, Andywalfian, Azimuddin Syakir, Adam Ashraf, Danish Aiman and Addy Jazmi. National head coach Sarjit Singh said the inclusion of the young players is part of the team’s planning to ensure continuity within the Speedy Tigers squad, while also providing early exposure to young talents at the highest level. “We want fresh impetus in the team, and the presence of these six young players brings something new. It also creates healthy competition as every player has to work harder to secure their place,” he said. Sarjit said the six were selected based on performance, discipline, tactical understanding and mental strength under pressure, as well as their level of physical readiness to compete at a higher level. He also hopes the young players given the opportunity will show high confidence, adapt quickly and be bold in challenging the senior players. ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal 4 (Magalhaes 48, Zubimendi 52, Trossard 69, Jesus 78) Aston Villa 1 (Watkins 90+4) , Burnley 1 (Laurent 23) Newcastle 3 (Joelinton 2, Wissa 7, Guimaraes 90+3) , Chelsea 2 (Palmer 15-pen, Fernandez 23) Bournemouth 2 (Brooks 6, Kluivert 27) , Manchester United 1 (Zirkzee 27) Wolves 1 (Krejci 45) , Nottingham Forest 0 Everton 2 (Garner 19, Barry 79) , West Ham 2 (Bowen 10, Paqueta 45+4 pen) Brighton 2 (Welbeck 32-pen, Velt man 61) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 19 14 3 2 37 12 45 Man City 18 13 1 4 43 17 40 Aston Villa 19 12 3 4 30 23 39 Liverpool 18 10 2 6 30 26 32 Chelsea 19 8 6 5 32 21 30 Man Utd 19 8 6 5 33 29 30 Sunderland 18 7 7 4 20 18 28 Everton 19 8 4 7 20 20 28 Brentford 18 8 2 8 28 26 26 Newcastle 19 7 5 7 26 24 26 Crystal Palace 18 7 5 6 21 20 26 Fulham 18 8 2 8 25 26 26 Tottenham 18 7 4 7 27 23 25 Brighton 19 6 7 6 28 27 25 Bournemouth 19 5 8 6 29 35 23 Leeds 18 5 5 8 25 32 20 Nottm Forest 19 5 3 11 18 30 18 West Ham 19 3 5 11 21 38 14 Burnley 19 3 3 13 20 37 12 Wolves 19 0 3 16 11 40 3 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS Group C:Tanzania 1 (Salum 48) Tunisia 1 (Gharbi 43-pen) , Uganda 1 (Mato 75) Nigeria 3 (Onuachu 28, Onyedika 62, 67) . P W D L F A Pts Nigeria (Q) 3 3 0 0 8 4 9 Tunisia (Q) 3 1 1 1 6 5 4 Tanzania (Q) 3 0 2 1 3 4 2 Uganda 3 0 1 2 3 7 1 Group D: Benin 0 Senegal 3 (Seck 38, Diallo 62, C. Ndiaye 90+7-pen) , Botswana 0 Democratic Republic of Congo 3 (Mbuku 31, Kakuta 41-pen, 60) . P W D L F A Pts Senegal (Q) 3 2 1 0 7 1 7 DRCongo (Q) 3 2 1 0 5 1 7 Benin (Q) 3 1 0 2 1 4 3 Botswana 3 0 0 3 0 7 0 Juniors vying for places in Speedy Tigers

In aquatic sports, Malaysia will host the Asian Water Polo Championship (U-18) and the 48th SEA Age Group Aquatic Championship at the National Aquatic Centre, Bukit Jalil. On the domestic level, the Selangor 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma) is scheduled to be held from Aug 15 to 24, while the Para Sukma from Sept 5 to 14 is expected to provide a major platform for local athletes to hone their talents and prepare for international games. Local sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli said Malaysia’s participation in various sports events next year, including the Asian Games, Asian Para Games and Commonwealth Games, is expected to strengthen the country’s position and open up space for young athletes to showcase their talents on the highest stage. “The success of our contingent at the 2026 Games can be a benchmark for our preparations to face the 2027 SEA Games as hosts. “At the same time, we can see the emergence of individual national athletes who we can rely on to end the gold medal drought at the Los Angeles (LA) 2028 Olympic Games,” he said. Pekan said this involvement is also important for athlete development because it provides a platform to nurture young talent and accelerate the athlete transition cycle, thus creating more competitive competition at the regional and international levels. “We hope to highlight more junior athletes who create success. We hope they mature quickly

at the international level so that they are no longer overshadowed by senior athletes who have caused our sports cycle to have to wait quite a long time to produce a new national champion. “This athlete transition cycle needs to happen quickly as a sign of the existence of very competition in every sport and can indirectly close the performance gap between our athletes and the best athletes in the region, Asia and the world,” he said. He said a good transition cycle is the only way to produce champions at the Asian or world level at a young age or teenager as practised by China. – Bernama

306/25

31/12/2025

3441 2864 7752

2240 9167 9365 9122 8603

0284 3303 9310 5816 1620

1537 4855 2641 2778 4465

7416 5331 1828 4112 9145

RM19,646,940.56

3441 + 7752 2864 + 7752 7752 + 2864

3441 + 2864 2864 + 3441 7752 + 3441

RM235,831.75

Jing Xuan calls for greater javelin recognition

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SEA GAMES Thailand 2025 silver medallist Ng Jing Xuan (pic) hopes that throwing disciplines, particularly the javelin, will gain wider recognition and appreciation among the public. The young athlete from Miri, Sarawak said that throwing events, which are part of field athletics, are still less well-known compared to track events such as sprints. However, she voiced hope that the success achieved by the athletics squad in Thailand, particularly in the throwing disciplines, would help change the situation ahead of the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia. “Javelin receives far less attention compared to track events, but I hope that by winning medals, we can continue to draw greater focus to it. “Often, when people ask which event I compete in, and I say track and field – javelin, they do not know what javelin is and only associate athletics with running. “I hope that one day, the throwing events will become a source of pride for Malaysia,” the 21 year-old athlete told Bernama. In addition to throwing events, which also include shot put, discus and hammer throw, field athletics also feature jumping disciplines

such as long jump and high jump. For track events, aside from sprints, significant focus is also placed on middle distance and long-distance running, hurdles, and relay races. At the recently concluded 2025 SEA Games, Jing Xuan turned in a memorable performance after winning the silver medal and breaking the national record with a throw of 52.17m at Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok. Jing Xuan, making her second appearance after finishing fourth at the 2023 edition in Cambodia, erased the national record of 49.34m previously held by Siti Nur Nadiah Othman. Adding to the achievement, she also became the first Malaysian woman to register a throw beyond the 50m mark. Meanwhile, Jing Xuan has set her sights on delivering a gold medal for Malaysia in the 2027 SEA Games. “I believe I can deliver the gold in the 2027 edition,” said the Sunway University student. The national athletics squad won a total of five gold medals in Thailand, with four coming from throwing events and one from a jumping event. The squad also secured five silver and six bronze medals. – Bernama

RM11,406,777.89

RM220,293.23

4 1 6 4 5 2 41645

16452

4164

6452

416

452

41

52

64

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