18/03/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAR 18, 2026

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Malaysian Paper

/thesundaily /

N ATIONAL badminton legend Datuk Rashid Sidek believes Malaysia can regain the Thomas Cup if they display strong team spirit, as the prestigious tournament demands more than just individual performances. He said team spirit and trust among players could inspire the team to rise above expectations and spring upsets in a major competition like the Thomas Cup. “In a team tournament, anything can happen. Sometimes teams regarded as weak go on to win, while those we consider strong end up losing. “For example, take India – who would have thought they could become Thomas Cup champions? So apart from the athletes’ current performance, team spirit is also very important, especially in team competitions like the Thomas Cup,” he said when met recently. When asked about the national squad’s chances of ending a 34-year title drought in the Thomas Cup, Rashid said he is optimistic that Malaysia could do it. Rashid was part of the squad that defeated Indonesia 3-2 in a thrilling Thomas Cup final in Kuala Lumpur in 1992. He urged all parties to continue supporting

Rashid urges unity Team spirit crucial if Malaysia are to reclaim Thomas Cup

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Brent ford 2 (Kayode 22, Thiago 37) Wolves 2 (Armstrong 44, Arokodare 77) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 31 21 7 3 61 22 70 Man City 30 18 7 5 60 28 61 Man Utd 30 15 9 6 54 41 54 Aston Villa 30 15 6 9 40 37 51 Liverpool 30 14 7 9 49 40 49 Chelsea 30 13 9 8 53 35 48 Brentford 30 13 6 11 46 42 45 Everton 30 12 7 11 34 35 43 Newcastle 30 12 6 12 43 43 42 Bournemouth 30 9 14 7 44 46 41 Fulham 30 12 5 13 40 43 41 Brighton 30 10 10 10 39 36 40 Sunderland 30 10 10 10 30 35 40 Crystal Palace 30 10 9 11 33 35 39 Leeds 30 7 11 12 37 48 32 Tottenham 30 7 9 1440 47 30 Nottm Forest 30 7 8 15 28 43 29 West Ham 30 7 8 1536 55 29 Burnley 30 4 8 1832 58 20 Wolves 31 3 8 2024 54 17 CHAMPIONSHIP: Portsmouth 0 Derby County 1. P W D L F A Pts Coventry 38 23 8 7 78 40 77 Mid’boro 38 20 10 8 59 37 70 Ipswich 37 19 11 7 66 38 68 Millwall 38 20 8 10 52 43 68 Hull 38 19 6 13 59 56 63 Wrexham 37 16 12 9 57 47 60 Southampton 37 15 12 10 60 48 57 Derby 38 16 9 13 55 48 57 Birmingham 38 14 11 13 48 48 53 Watford 37 13 13 11 47 45 52 Swansea 38 15 7 16 44 46 52 Norwich 37 15 6 16 51 45 51 Stoke 38 14 9 15 45 40 51 Bristol City 38 14 9 15 49 49 51 Sheff Utd 38 15 5 18 53 52 50 QPR 38 14 8 16 49 60 50 Preston 38 12 13 13 42 48 49 Charlton 38 12 12 14 36 45 48 Blackburn 38 11 9 18 36 49 42 Portsmouth 37 10 10 17 36 48 40 West Brom 38 10 10 18 39 54 40 Oxford 38 9 12 17 36 49 39 Leicester 38 11 11 16 51 60 38 Sheff Wed 38 1 9 2823 76 -6 LA LIGA: Rayo Vallecano 1 (Ciss 90+4) Levante 1 (Espi 41). TOP 15 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 28 23 1 4 77 28 70 Real Madrid 28 21 3 4 60 24 66 Atletico 28 17 6 5 47 25 57 Villarreal 28 17 4 7 51 33 55 Real Betis 28 11 11 6 43 35 44 Celta Vigo 28 10 11 7 38 31 41 Sociedad 28 10 8 10 43 42 38 Espanyol 28 10 7 11 35 42 37 Getafe 28 10 5 13 23 30 35 Athletic 28 10 5 13 30 40 35 Osasuna 28 9 7 1233 35 34 Girona 28 8 10 10 31 43 34 Vallecano 28 7 11 10 28 34 32 Valencia 28 8 8 1230 42 32 Sevilla 28 8 7 1337 47 31 SERIE A: Cremonese 1 (Okereke 57) Fiorentina 4 (Parisi 25, Piccoli 32, Dodo 49, Gudmundsson 70) . TOP 15 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 29 23 2 5 65 23 68 AC Milan 29 17 9 3 44 21 60 Napoli 29 18 5 6 45 30 59 Como 29 15 9 5 48 22 54 Juventus 29 15 8 6 51 28 53 Roma 29 16 3 10 39 23 51 Atalanta 29 12 11 6 40 27 47 Bologna 29 12 6 11 38 34 42 Lazio 29 10 10 9 29 28 40 Sassuolo 29 11 5 13 35 39 38 Udinese 29 10 6 13 33 42 36 Parma 29 8 10 11 21 36 34 Genoa 29 8 9 1236 40 33 Torino 29 9 6 1432 50 33 Cagliari 29 7 9 1331 41 30

will end at the end of July, and championships will determine the ranking of national athletes. “Our focus is on three major championships. For instance, in Dubai, but we are monitoring the geopolitical situation there. If there is a problem, we will have an alternative plan to join another championship. “For athletes among the top 12 in the world, they will focus on the Spanish Para Badminton International 2026 and the British & Irish Para Badminton International to strengthen their positions,” he told Bernama after attending a meeting at the National Sports Council here yesterday, adding that they expect about five athletes to be selected to compete in the Para Asian Games this year. The national para badminton squad won two silver and two bronze medals at the 2022 Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. – Bernama

and encouraging the national badminton squad. “For me, Malaysia actually have the potential to win because the team have their own strengths. “So we must believe in our team, as those who will be selected are generally players who compete regularly in tournaments every month,” he said. The 2026 Thomas Cup will be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3. Meanwhile, the national para badminton squad is focused on several major international championships to secure qualifying slots to the 2026 Para Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya this October. Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Para manager R. Ravendran said the current priority is to collect world ranking points that

MTA eyes takraw converts

MTA president J. Siva Kumar (left) and secretary Datuk Noorul Ariffin at the Royal Selangor Club recently. – BERNAMAPIC

MAN UNITED are set to face com petition for Nottm Forest mid fielder Elliot Anderson, 23, with Bayern Munich ready to step up their interest in the England international. ASTON VILLA’S English winger Morgan Rogers, 23, may be tempted to look for Champions League football elsewhere if Unai Emery’s side fail to qualify for next season’s competition. ARSENAL’S Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli, 24, faces an uncertain future at the club along with English leftback Myles Lewis-Skelly, 19, and 18 year-old English winger Ethan Nwaneri. THE Malaysia Teqball Association (MTA) plans to scout for new talent, including among former sepak tak raw players, to strengthen the national squad ahead of several major tournaments, including the 2026 Asian Games. Its president, J. Siva Kumar, said the move is relevant as sepak takraw players possess an advantage in terms of basic skills that are similar to teqball, and could help raise the country’s level of play. However, he stressed that recruited players cannot rely solely on their sepak takraw skills, as teqball also requires mastery of dif ferent techniques and game strate gies. “We want to invite former sepak takraw players and establish good cooperation with the Sepak Takraw Federation of Malaysia so that tal ents who are no longer active in the sport can switch to teqball. “We once had a female athlete who represented the country in this sport in 2018, and she was actually a former sepak takraw player from Sabah. That is why I think that might have enabled her to defeat a Thai player, as she came 100% from a sepak takraw background,” he told reporters recently. However, he acknowledged that efforts to recruit new players still face TOUCHLINES

MAGPIES fear being dragged into another Alexander Isak-style saga with Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, 25, amid speculation of a £100m (RM522m) move to Man United, Man City, Chelsea or Real Madrid. MAN CITY defender Nathan Ake is a target for AC Milan and Inter Milan with the Netherlands inter national, 31, unable to command a regular starting spot this sea son. ARSENAL have little intention of allowing 23-year-old Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori to leave this summer despite growing inter est from Serie A clubs including Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli. constraints, particularly in terms of permanent training facilities, which the association has yet to secure. “Some of them are indeed inter ested, but the problem is that we do not have a permanent training venue. So they may feel we are not serious because there are no suitable facilities. “In fact, we only need a hall the size of a badminton or sepak takraw court to conduct training consis tently,” he said. Commenting on the challenge at the Asian Games, Siva Kumar said Malaysia are expected to compete in five categories – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed dou bles – with Thailand likely to be the main challenger. “For the Asian Games, I think our realistic target is to win the bronze medal (like we did at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand). But with more systematic training, I believe there is also a chance to improve to silver,”he said. He added that before the prestig ious Games, the national squad are scheduled to compete in several warm-up tournaments, including the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, the Asian Indoor Games and the Malaysia Teqball League in the Klang Valley. – Bernama

Istaf signs adaptive sport MoU THE International Sepaktakraw Federation (Istaf) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with World Abilitysport to pro mote adaptive sepaktakraw and expand competition opportunities for athletes with physical impair ments. In a statement today, Istaf secre

elbow amputation, significant joint restriction or stiffness at the wrist or arm, and muscle weakness or muscle atrophy, including impairments associated with polio,” he said. Abdul Halim added that all ath letes may compete using a prosthe sis or other assistive equipment to support balance and mobility, or to aid arm function where appropriate. “Istaf and the global Sepaktakraw community proudly welcome ath letes with disabilities as valued par ticipants in the sport. The federation believes that the true spirit of sport lies in its ability to unite people of diverse backgrounds and abilities. “In this regard, Istaf remains fully committed to ensuring that adaptive athletes are provided with meaning ful opportunities to participate, com pete and develop within the inter national sepaktakraw community,” he said. “The inclusion of adaptive sepak takraw in its programmes will further strengthen the international sepak takraw community and contribute to the long-term growth, recognition and global standing of the sport,” he said. –Bernama

tary-general Abdul Halim Kader said the collaboration reflects their com mitment to making sepaktakraw inclusive and accessible to athletes of all abilities. “Athletes are eligible to compete in international Adaptive Sepaktakraw in three classifications, namely TKR1 (lower limb impairment above knee), TKR2 (lower limb impairment below knee) and TKR3 (upper limb impairment). “Eligible impairments under TKR1 and TKR2 include above- or below knee amputation or comparable limb deficiency, significant muscle weakness or muscle atrophy in one leg, impairment resulting from polio, and leg length difference greater than 5cm. “TKR3 covers congenital upper limb deficiency, unilateral below