17/04/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | APR 17, 2026

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Pearly blow for Malaysia Back injury forces women's doubles ace to witdraw from Uber Cup team M ALAYSIA have suffered a huge blow ahead of the Uber Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3, following the withdrawal of women’s doubles ace Pearly Tan with a recurring back injury. term health. “It hurts so much not being able to stand beside my teammates and go through this journey together. Please know that my heart is always with the team, and I’ll be cheering for every single one of you,” she said.

KBS to develop comprehensive esports guidelines CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (Quarterfinals, 2nd leg) : Bayern Munich 4 (Pavlovic 6, Kane 38, Diaz 89, Olise 90+4) Real Madrid 3 (Guler 1, 29, Mbappe 42) – Bayern win 6-4 on agg , Arsenal 0 Sporting Lisbon 0 – Arsenal win 1-0 on agg . RESULTS

grateful for,” she told reporters. “I think we don’t want to put pressure on any one. The main thing is to enjoy and just give your best in the games. And as for teammates, we are there to support each other,” she said. Commenting on the team’s early departure to Denmark to have a centralised training camp, Thinaah said the strategic move by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) would help strengthen the bond between the players. She noted that building team spirit is essential for a team event like the Thomas and Uber Cup and the eight-day training camp would provide the per fect platform for that. How well Thinaah copes without her regular partner will surely be a test in the coming days. The other women’s doubles combinations bound for the Uber Cup Finals are youngsters Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting and Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah. Malaysia’s women’s singles lineup will com prise K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Siti Zulaikha Azmi and Goh Jin Wei. The women’s team have been drawn in Group B of the Uber Cup Finals with Japan, Turkiye and South Africa. – Bernama

In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Pearly expressed deep regret over her withdrawal, apologising to teammates, stakeholders and fans for being unable to represent the country in the prestigious team event. “I sincerely apologise for letting everyone down. I recently suffered a back injury during my last tournament, and I’m truly disappointed about it. “There’s nothing I wanted more than to be on court, fighting for every point and standing with my team. But this time, my body is telling me to stop, and I have to listen,” she said, adding that it “breaks my heart” to miss the competition. The 24-year-old revealed that the injury is not new, saying a similar condition three years ago nearly derailed her career. Pearly also shared that the past few days had been mentally challenging, as she struggled to come to terms with missing the Finals while bal ancing her commitment to the team and her long

Meanwhile, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) also confirmed that Pearly will not be part of the squad for the 2026 Uber Cup Finals. National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said the decision was made following a late assessment of her condition. “Pearly is not in a position to compete at the required level. We had to make a decision to ensure the team is fully prepared,” he said. With Pearly’s absence, Malaysia will be without their top women’s doubles pair, and her partner, M. Thinaah, is expected to be paired with another player for the campaign. Before Pearly’s anouncement, Thinaah had told Bernama that every opportunity to represent the country at the Uber Cup was a privilege rather than a burden despite the constant heavy expectations. “I think to play for Malaysia and to be on court is something really that we have to appreciate and be

Thailand out to regain lost glory: Takraw coach

THE Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) is formulating comprehensive guidelines to ensure that Malaysia’s esports scene develops within a safe environment. Minister of Youth and Sports Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (above) said a special committee comprising represen tatives from the ministry, its agency Esports Integrated, as well as the Ministry of Education has been estab lished to draft the guidelines to ensure a healthier esports ecosystem in Malaysia. “If we do not provide a safe platform for young people to engage in esports, they will still play. We cannot stop them. “What is important is that we provide a platform and guide them towards healthier and more positive esports par ticipation,” he said. He added that the committee also includes several experts, including medi cal doctors and psychiatrists. “Experts (medical doctors and psy chiatrists) involved will provide guid ance to young people on how many hours they should play, how many hours they should rest, as well as recommen dations for engaging in physical activi ties,” he said. Malaysia previously won a gold medal in esports at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines in the Hearthstone category through Dr Yew Weng Keng, while the latest achievement was at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand through the women’s team category of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). Elaborating further, Mohammed Taufiq said providing a safe esports plat form would also ensure the welfare of existing athletes while helping to nur ture current talents. He said talent development is not only aimed at participation in competi tions, but also at ensuring national ath letes can achieve greater success, includ ing winning gold medals and bringing glory to Malaysia on the international stage. On the vast potential of the esports industry, he said Malaysia must be pro active in seizing opportunities in the rap idly growing sector to avoid being left behind in the tide of global modernisa tion. He added that the expanding esports landscape is also attracting for eign investors, requiring the country to remain competitive and adapt to an increasingly advanced era. – Bernama

MALAYSIA is not taking lightly the challenge of its main rival, Thailand, which is expected to show a come back at the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup at Titiwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur from May 16 to 23. National head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said based on the initial squad list for the World Cup, Thailand appears to have retained almost 70%

At the draw, Malaysia and Thailand were not drawn in the same group for the Premier Division regu, team regu and quadrant events, thus there is a possibility of meeting in the final stage if each wins the group competi tion. Malaysia is currently seen as the favourite team in this World Cup, espe cially after winning the gold medal in the team regu by defeating Thailand and the regu event by defeating Vietnam at the last SEA Games. Meanwhile, commenting on the preparations, Ahmad Jais said the national squad is now focusing on analysing the opponent’s perform ance to assess their strengths and weaknesses before determining the best player combination. He is also confident that the advan tage of playing at home and the sup port of local fans can help the national team maintain momentum and achieve success. “I believe that the support from all sepak takraw fans in the country in particular, will give the national team a little advantage in improving their performance and also achieving suc cess,” he said. At the 2024 World Cup which was also held here, Malaysia emerged as Premier Division double and regu event champions while Thailand won the Premier Division team regu cham pionship. – Bernama

Kuala Lumpur after losing in the last SEA Games. “We are always focusing on this tournament so that we can continue the momentum of success (in the SEA Games) to the World Cup this time,” he said when met at the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup Tournament Draw at the Malaysia Sepak Takraw Academy Complexin Kuala Lumpur.

of its old players with the remaining list expected to be finalised by the end of this month. He said the White Elephant squad was also expected to seek a comeback to restore its tarnished reputation after its failure at the SEA Games on home soil last year. “I believe the Thai team will defi nitely want to create a surprise in

Sepak takraw squad head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun at a press conference recently. – BERNAMAPIC

Terengganu not ruling out Semi Pro league TERENGGANU FC (TFC) have not ruled out the possibility of playing in the A1 Semi Pro League next season.

Football Federation (Fifa) due to player payment arrears. Meanwhile, when asked about the team’s cur rent performance, Hishamuddin said the Turtles are still on track to achieve their target of finishing the Super League in fifth place. “TFC are still on track to achieve the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of fifth place this sea son,” he said. TFC are currently fifth in the Super League with 32 points from 20 matches, with four matches remaining against Negeri Sembilan FC (NSFC), Kuching City FC, Imigresen FC and Sabah FC. – Bernama

matter is not as easy as planning on paper. “We are currently conducting training on the matter. Internal factors, namely financial and so on, are the main things that have always plagued the team. It can be likened to diabetes that is always bleeding and never heals,” he said when contacted yesterday. Hishamuddin said that if TFC decides to play in the Division Two league, the focus will definitely be more on the football development pro gramme, in addition to resolving various internal issues within the club that seem to be endless. TFC have previously been banned from regis tering players several times by the International

Terengganu State Football Association (PBSNT) president Hishamuddin Abdul Karim said the club’s management is currently looking into the matter, which requires in-depth research and discussion before a final decision is made. He said internal factors, especially financial constraints, are among the main problems that have always plagued the team. “This matter has not been finalised yet. We are studying the matter if we intend to bring TFC to play in the A1 Semi Pro League next season. The