MR Targets One Gold In Thailand SEA Games

SUNGAI BULOH, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Rugby (MR) is determined to bring back the men's sevens (7s) gold medal it won in the 2017 edition, when it competes in the ongoing Thailand SEA Games.

Its president, Amir Amri Mohamad, said the target was set after assessing the preparations and high commitment displayed by the national squad earlier.

"After we held a bonding meeting at Tasik Kenyir recently with the men's team, we really see the players' determination and commitment are very different from before.

"With the enthusiasm of the players to fight for the gold medal, I am quite confident that a surprise will happen in Bangkok," he said at the Jalur Gemilang handover ceremony for the 7s team that will compete in the Thailand SEA Games here today.

Meanwhile, when asked about the target for the women's team, he hoped that Mohamad Faiz Samsukhidir's squad would be able to achieve a bronze medal.

"We know that the women's team will face stiff opposition from the Thai team who are already of Asian standard.

"The Philippine and Singaporean women's rugby teams are also making good preparations for the Bangkok SEA Games," he said.

At the same time, he also promised to reward the 7s rugby team that brings the gold medal to the country.

We do acknowledge that the players' sacrifices should be appreciated throughout the nearly two years of preparation for the Bangkok SEA Games. So we will indeed provide victory incentives if both teams win gold medals.

"I don't want to announce the amount yet but it will be huge for both teams if they win gold," he said.

For record, the last time Malaysia won gold in the 7s rugby event was in 2017 in the men's category.

The men's and women's seven-a-side rugby are contested in a round-robin league format.

For the men's category, Malaysia will open the campaign against Singapore and the Philippines on Dec 13 before facing Laos on Dec 14.

Meanwhile, the women's squad is scheduled to meet Singapore and the Philippines on Dec 13, followed by matches against Indonesia and Thailand on Dec 14.

-- BERNAMA