16/09/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | SEPT 16, 2026

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Scratch pair out to surprise

NATIONAL men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia is hoping his scratch partnership with Tee Kai Wun can spring a surprise and at least deliver a medal for Malaysia at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. Chia said they would not be weighed down by high expectations as a scratch pair, allowing them to take to the court with a more relaxed mindset at the biennial Games. The 29-year-old believes their status as a scratch pair could also work to their advantage, with opponents expected to find it difficult to read their playing style as they are still unfamiliar with the Chia-Tee combination.

THE target of six gold medals at the Aichi Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, to be held from Sept 19 to Oct 4, is considered realistic based on an assessment of the athletes’ capabilities and the commitment of sports associations. Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said the target took into account assessments and discussions as well as the athletes’ preparations throughout their train ing period. “We are very optimistic and positive about what the contingent, athletes, coaches and all sports associations can deliver. We have con ducted assessments and discussions, and every sports association has given its full com mitment,” he said. He said athletes’ mental preparation should not be taken lightly as it could affect their performance despite undergoing lengthy training. “Mental preparation is very, very important because anything can happen… technical issues and things that affect their mental state can cause changes in terms of performance,” he said, adding that medal-winning perform ance was important as part of the prepara tions for bigger competitions, such as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Taufiq, who will be in Aichi-Nagoya from Sept 18 to 24, said the contingent’s welfare was also being given attention, particularly amid the unfavourable weather conditions in Japan currently, with the situation being closely monitored together with the hosts and Malaysian representatives there. National contingent chef de mission to the Asian Games, Datuk Sumali Reduan, was pre viously reported as saying that the national contingent was targeting six gold, seven silver and 20 bronze medals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. Malaysia is sending 352 athletes and 185 officials to compete in 30 of the 43 sports, with the national contingent participating in 156 of the 469 events on offer. Of the athletes, 15 are from the Road to Gold programme, 158 from the podium pro gramme, 14 from the development pro gramme and 165 under sports association programmes, while 110 athletes aged below 21 are also part of the contingent. Thirteen sports have been identified as potential medal contributors, namely track cycling, badminton, archery, diving, squash, sepak takraw, hockey, athletics, sailing, karate, wushu, e-sports and shooting. – Bernama made in accordance with Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) regulations. He said conditions such as haze, rain and floods were beyond the organisers’ control, making UCI regulations the key reference in determining the appropriate action should conditions become unsafe for riders. Emir said international races had previously been short ened, delayed or temporarily halted due to weather conditions, while LTdL itself faced a similar situation in 2004 when a stage in Negeri Sembilan was stopped and neutralised temporarily due to flooding. Emir said that if the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading caused by haze reached dangerously high levels, the relevant parties could take action to stop, postpone or cancel a race in accordance with UCI regulations. contested, with world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae of South Korea and 2026 world cham pions Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang of China among the medal contenders. Besides Chia-Tee, professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will also carry Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s doubles event at the 2026 Asian Games. All four players are also listed for the men’s team event alongside Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh, Eogene Ewe, Kong Wei Xiang, Chen Tang Jie and Goh Soon Huat. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will take place from Sept 19 to Oct 4. – Bernama Six-gold target is realistic: Taufiq

(BAM) announced that Chia would partner Tee, while his regular partner Soh Wooi Yik was not selected for the 2026 Asian Games. Chia previously won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with Soh. Malaysia’s last men’s doubles gold at the Asian Games came at the 2006 edition in Doha through Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong. Chia acknowledged that the men’s doubles competition in Aichi-Nagoya would be fiercely

W HAT began as a seven-year-old’s acci dental entry into karate after choosing the wrong sports club has taken Ivy Olivera Donny, 20, to the top of Asian junior karate, with the Sabah athlete winning women’s Under-21 individual kata gold at the 24th 2026 Asian Karate Federation Cadet, Junior and U21 Championships in Amman, Jordan on Sept 10. Ivy said she had originally intended to join the taekwondo club at St Joseph Primary School in Penampang, only to realise that it was actually a karate club when she attended her first training ses sion. “When I told my parents, they encouraged me to continue since the equipment had already been bought. Looking back, perhaps this was God’s best plan for me,” she told Bernama . The eldest of four siblings said her parents had been her biggest source of strength, making sacri fices to support her dream in karate. Ivy dominated the final, defeating Iran’s Ailin Baharijavadhesari 4-1 to clinch the gold medal at the championships held from Sept 8 to 11. The national junior karate athlete, who is now training at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil, said hearing the Negaraku being played Turtles in trouble TERENGGANU FC’S (TFC) preparations for tonight’s FA Cup last 16, second leg against DPMM FC have been disrupted by injuries to four key play ers. Head coach Mohd Nafuzi Zain said Romel Morales, Muhammad Danial Amier Norhisham, Ngweni Ndasi and striker Gervane Kastaneer were all rated 50-50 for the match at Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium. The situation could force the for mer national U23 head coach to reshuffle his start ing line-up as the Turtles seek to secure a place in the quarterfinals. Nafuzi also warned his players against becoming complacent despite holding a BRIEFS “I mean, we are going there as a scratch pair and underdogs. I think we can play more calmly and we are really hoping for a breakthrough there. “What is important is that we give our best in every match, regardless of whether it is the team or individual event. We do have hopes, and we ourselves hope to bring home at least a medal for Team Malaysia,” he told reporters after a training session yesterday. In July, the Badminton Association of Malaysia Accidental start, Asian glory A childhood mix-up led Ivy to Asian U21 karate gold

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Leeds 4 (Miley 32-og, Bogle 34, Calvert-Lewin 45+1, Okafor 59) Newcastle 1 (Toure 90) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 4 4 0 0 8 1 12 Man City 4 4 0 0 8 2 12 Leeds 4 2 2 0 7 3 8 Hull 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 Brighton 4 2 1 1 13 5 7 Chelsea 4 2 1 1 10 9 7 Brentford 4 1 3 0 7 4 6 Liverpool 4 1 3 0 6 4 6 Everton 4 1 3 0 5 3 6 Ipswich 4 2 0 2 7 10 6 Nottm Forest 4 1 2 1 4 4 5 Newcastle 4 1 2 1 7 8 5 Man Utd 4 1 1 2 7 7 4 Sunderland 4 1 1 2 3 5 4 Bournemouth 4 0 3 1 6 7 3 Crystal Palace 4 1 0 3 6 11 3 Tottenham 4 0 2 2 0 5 2 Fulham 4 0 1 3 4 7 1 Aston Villa 4 0 1 3 1 7 1 Coventry 4 0 0 4 0 10 0 LA LIGA: Villarreal 1 (Moreno 29) Real Betis 2 (Hernandez 29, Natan 43) . P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 5 5 0 0 21 4 15 Real Madrid 5 4 0 1 14 4 12 Real Betis 5 4 0 1 7 6 12 Alaves 5 3 1 1 11 5 10 Atletico 5 3 1 1 10 6 10 Sevilla 5 3 1 1 8 6 10 Deportivo 5 2 3 0 9 6 9 Espanyol 5 2 1 2 8 5 7 Bilbao 5 2 1 2 7 6 7 Santander 5 2 1 2 9 9 7 Osasuna 5 2 1 2 5 8 7 Sociedad 6 2 1 3 6 11 7 Levante 5 1 2 2 7 9 5 Getafe 5 1 2 2 3 6 5 Celta Vigo 6 0 4 2 3 6 4 Vallecano 5 1 1 3 8 14 4 Malaga 5 0 3 2 2 8 3 Villarreal 5 0 2 3 7 10 2 Elche 5 0 2 3 6 13 2 Valencia 5 0 1 4 1 10 1 SERIE A: Torino 0 Roma 2 (Malen 40, Pisilli 90+3) , Como 2 (Ramon 23, Kaiki 83) Parma 1 (Romero 90+2) , Inter Milan 5 (Carlos Augusto 26, Barella 35, Thuram 57, Esposito 67, Bonny 79) Udinese 3 (Abank wah 9, Ekkelenkamp 16, Gueye 90+1) . P W D L F A Pts AS Roma 4 4 0 0 12 1 12 Inter Milan 4 4 0 0 13 6 12 Como 4 3 1 0 9 4 10 Lazio 4 3 1 0 6 3 10 Cagliari 4 3 0 1 4 2 9 AC Milan 4 2 2 0 7 4 8 Frosinone 4 2 1 1 7 4 7 Juventus 4 2 1 1 6 4 7 Sassuolo 4 2 1 1 8 7 7 Napoli 4 2 0 2 6 5 6 Atalanta 4 2 0 2 5 5 6 Lecce 4 2 0 2 5 7 6 Udinese 4 1 1 2 8 10 4 Torino 4 1 0 3 4 7 3 Fiorentina 4 1 0 3 5 11 3 Bologna 4 0 1 3 2 5 1 Parma 4 0 1 3 2 6 1 Monza 4 0 1 3 6 11 1 Genoa 4 0 1 3 2 8 1 Venezia 4 0 0 4 4 11 0

Ivy Olivera Donny celebrates after winning the women’s Under-21 individual kata gold medal at the 24th Asian Karate Federation Cadet, Junior and U21 C’ships in Amman, Jordan on Sept 10. – BERNAMAPIC

on the podium was a moment she would cherish for the rest of her life. “I was honestly surprised because I thought I had lost after the Iranian athlete celebrated her win in the adjacent arena. I only felt relieved and proud after the actual score was announced,” she said. She said the victory was especially meaningful after she could only manage a bronze at the previ ous Malaysia Games (Sukma), which motivated her to bounce back on the international stage. “I couldn’t bring home a gold medal for Sabah, but I hope this medal can make the people of Sabah proud,” said Ivy, who trains twice a day, six days a week. She is now back in Bukit Jalil to sharpen her kata techniques and prepare for upcoming interna tional competitions, insisting that her triumph in Jordan was not the end of her journey. Ivy said the achievement had come with sacri fices, including injuries, being away from her family and financial challenges, but she remained deter mined to pursue her goals. She summed up her memorable victory in Jordan in three words: “patience, faith and onsoi”, with “onsoi” meaning “good” or “fine” in the Murut language and commonly used in local Sabah speech. – Bernama slender one-goal advantage, with Jamie McAllister’s DPMM expected to adopt a more aggressive approach in search of victory. The coach also urged his players to sharpen both their attack ing and defensive play to prevent DPMM from

exploiting any weaknesses. Plan B ready for LTdL

LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI (LTdL) 2026 organisers are keeping alternative routes ready in case of weather disruptions, including haze and floods, during the prestigious cycling race from Sept 27 to Oct 4. LTdL chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said the organisers were prepared for various eventualities, but any decisions affecting the race would be