12/02/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 12, 2026

31

Parity for para athletes in S’gor Move aims to align rewards and training with able-bodied peers ahead of 2026 Games T HE Selangor state government intends to standardise the incentives for winners in the Para Malaysia Games (Para Sukma) with able-bodied athletes to strengthen to ensure they are on par with able-bodied ath letes. “We (the state government) have determined that victory incentives for Para Sukma athletes will be equal to those received by Sukma athletes. We want to ensure there is no discrimination in terms of rewards.

RESULTS & STANDINGS

NATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTER Mohamad Aniq Kasdan admits that the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA28) is becoming more difficult following changes to the qualifying rules and the need to move to a higher weight category. He said that although he began preparing for LA28 last year, a right shoulder ligament injury forced him to rest before resuming training recently as he gears up for the Olympic qualifi ers, which are expected to begin in July. To qualify for the Olympics, he has had to switch to a higher weight category since the 60-kilo gramme (kg) class, which he will compete in at this year’s Glasgow ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Chel sea 2 (Pedro 24, Palmer 58-pen) Leeds 2 (Nmecha 67-pen, Okafor 73) , Everton 1 (Ndiaye 42-pen) Bournemouth 2 (Rayan 61, Adli 64) , Tottenham 1 (Gray 64) Newcastle 2 (Thiaw 45+5, Ramsey 68) , West Ham 1 (Soucek 50) Manchester United 1 (Sesko 90+6) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 25 17 5 3 49 17 56 Man City 25 15 5 5 51 24 50 Aston Villa 25 14 5 6 36 27 47 Man Utd 26 12 9 5 47 37 45 Chelsea 26 12 8 6 47 30 44 Liverpool 25 11 6 8 40 35 39 Brentford 25 12 3 10 39 34 39 Everton 26 10 7 9 29 30 37 Bournemouth26 9 10 7 43 45 37 Newcastle 26 10 6 10 37 37 36 Sunderland 25 9 9 7 27 29 36 Fulham 25 10 4 11 35 37 34 Crystal Palace 25 8 8 9 26 29 32 Brighton 25 7 10 8 34 33 31 Leeds 26 7 9 1036 45 30 Tottenham 26 7 8 1136 37 29 Nottm Forest 25 7 5 13 25 38 26 West Ham 26 6 6 1432 49 24 Burnley 25 3 6 1625 49 15 Wolves 25 1 5 1916 48 8 CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester City 3 Southampton 4, Oxford United 0 Norwich City 3, Birmingham City 0 West Brom 0. P W D L F A Pts Mid’boro 31 18 7 6 49 30 61 Coventry 31 17 8 6 63 35 59 Ipswich 30 15 9 6 51 29 54 Hull 31 16 6 9 50 43 54 Millwall 31 15 8 8 39 36 53 Wrexham 31 12 11 8 44 39 47 Preston 31 12 11 8 38 34 47 Bristol City 31 13 7 11 43 38 46 Southampton 32 12 10 10 48 44 46 Birmingham 32 12 10 10 43 39 46 Derby 31 12 9 10 45 39 45 Watford 31 11 11 9 39 36 44 QPR 31 12 8 11 42 43 44 Stoke 31 12 7 12 34 28 43 Swansea 31 12 6 13 38 37 42 Norwich 32 11 6 15 42 42 39 Sheff Utd 31 12 3 16 44 45 39 Charlton 30 9 9 1229 38 36 West Brom 32 9 7 1632 47 34 Portsmouth 29 8 9 12 27 38 33 Leicester 32 10 8 14 44 51 32 Blackburn 31 8 8 1527 40 32 Oxford 32 6 10 16 28 44 28 Sheff Wed 31 1 8 2218 62 -7 ITALIAN CUP (quarterfinal) : Napoli 1 Como 1 (Como win 7-6 on penalties) . GERMAN CUP (quarterfinal) : Hertha Berlin 1 Freiburg 1 (Freiburg win 5-4 on penalties) .

the Dewan Raja Muda Musa yesterday. The chairman of the Selangor 2026 Sukma and Para Sukma stated that this measure is aimed, among other things, at ending the stigma against para athletes and elevating their dignity as high-performance athletes who contribute to the state’s achievements at the national level. In the same development, Mohd Najwan informed that Sukma volunteer registration, which opened less than 72 hours ago, has attracted interest from approximately 18,000 individuals as of noon yesterday, far exceeding the initial target of 5,000 people. He said the sharp increase reflects the high interest of the community, especially the youth, to be involved as volunteers for the hosting of the Selangor 2026 Sukma and Para Sukma. He stressed that volunteer participation cov ers both the Sukma and Para Sukma games, with management handled in a planned manner to guarantee smooth operations and a high-stan dard hosting experience. The Para Sukma 2026 is scheduled to take place around the Klang and Petaling districts from Sept 5 to 10 next year, offering 316 gold medals across 316 events with 10 types of sports hosted. – Bernama

the high-performance sports ecosystem while empowering the welfare of athletes with special needs ahead of the Para Sukma 2026. State Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneurship Exco Mohd Najwan Halimi said this intention aligns with the state government’s approach to standardise access to training, performance development, and welfare for Para Sukma athletes

JDT stumble in Japan JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) 2025/26 Group A match at the Edion Peace Wing Stadium in Hiroshima on Tuesday. The result saw JDT remain sixth in the Group A standings with eight points, while Sanfrecce climbed one place to third with 14 points. Xisco Munoz’s men took an early lead in the third minute when Marcos Guilherme calmly slotted the ball past the Sanfrecce goalkeeper. However, JDT were dealt a blow when Jonathan Silva was shown a red card in the 17th minute for handling the ball in the box. The incident handed Bartosch Gaul’s side the advantage, with Akito Suzuki converting the resulting pen alty a minute later to draw level at 1-1. JDT are scheduled to face another Japanese side, Vissel Kobe, at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Feb 17, a match that will determine the Southern Tigers’fate in advancing to the knockout stages. Malaysia eye ANC crown THE Malaysian Netball Association (PBJM) intend to challenge for the title at the Asian Netball Championship (ANC), which is sched uled to be held in Hong Kong in August, as part of their preparations for the 2027 SEA Games that Malaysia will host. Its president Alwiyah Talib, said the Asian meet would allow them to create a formidable team by combining the seasoned seniors with some youngsters with huge potential. “At the Asian level, we are usu ally among the top three teams. So, naturally, our target this time is to emerge as champions. Singapore are our biggest threat now … we want to gather the best of the best ahead of the Asian meet,”she said after attending the Netball Super League (NSL) Clinic yesterday. Alwiyah, who expects training to commence during Ramadan, said they are driven to aim higher fol lowing the third-placed finish in the 2024 edi tion. Malaysia have won the Asian Netball Championship title twice – in the inaugural 1985 edition and 2016. “In the 2024 Sarawak Sukma, every gold medallist received RM10,000, and moving for ward, Para Sukma athletes will also receive the same rate. The latest incentive values will be announced in the near future,” he told reporters at

BRIEFS

326/26

11/02/2026

9674 9187 4914

0911 2647 3038 0559 8454

5190 2414 8618 7087 6869

8059 6541 8681 9569 0447

6771 9369 3909 9258 5171

RM15,350,012.95

9674 + 4914 9187 + 4914 4914 + 9187

9674 + 9187 9187 + 9674 4914 + 9674

RM344,388.68

JDT’s Oscar Arribas (left) in action against the Hiroshima player during the AFC Champions League Elite match at Edion Peace Wing Stadium yesterday. – @officialjohor/X

4 6 112027283436

Aniq faces tougher road to LA28

9 33

the Olympics a little more diffi cult,” he said. Based on the Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) official website, the qualifying period for LA28 is from July 27, 2026, to May 7, 2028, and it is divided into two stages, with the lifters’ positions determined based on the total lifts – snatch and clean & jerk – from the official qualifying championships. The Olympic ranking of every weightlifter will be calculated based on their three best results from stage one and two best results from stage two, with each kg lifted equivalent to one point. The top eight from each category will qualify for the Olympics. – Bernama

when just one outstanding achievement was sufficient to confirm a place in the quadrennial Games. “For example, for Paris 2024, the world’s 10 best lifters can qual ify, and they must compete in five championships. Although only one is a high-performance cham pionship, you only need to be in the top 10. “But now, lifters must compete in five mandatory championships and be consistent in every single one of them. “In the final qualifying event, the total lifts from all champion ships will be taken into account to determine the list of top lifters. Frankly, this is fair, although it makes my task of qualifying for

Commonwealth Games, will not be contested in LA28. “So, I need to move up to the 65kg category, the same as at Paris 2024. “I am worried and anxious, but I have to give it a try. “I need to increase my body weight and my total lift. It’s not impossible, as I’ve done it before. So, based on my experience, it’s doable,” he said when met at the Malaysian University Sports Council (Masum) Sports Awards 2023 and 2024 ceremony yester day. According to Mohamad Aniq, one of the key changes to the qualifying rules requires him to be consistent throughout the quali fying period, unlike previously,

RM12,010,531.20

RM100,000.00

7 4 8 7 1 4 74871

48714

7487

8714

748

714

74

14

87

16

All jackpot amounts stated above are for this Draw. Subject to T&Cs of the Scheme. Please visit to www.magnum4d.my for more info. THE BIGGER PLAY IS TO PLAY RESPONSIBLY