Asian Games: Sumali Believes Sepak Takraw Can Contribute One Gold Medal, 'Two Will Be A Bonus'

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Sepak Takraw Federation (PSM) President Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan personally hopes the national sepaktakraw squad will be able to contribute at least one gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, which will take place from Sept 19 to Oct 4.

Mohd Sumali said that winning two gold medals could be considered a major bonus for national sepaktakraw, particularly in Malaysia's efforts to achieve an impressive feat at Asia's largest multi-sport event.

However, he stated that the official target for the sepaktakraw squad has yet to be finalised and is expected to be decided in the near future.

"Wait for it, my personal target is at least one gold at the Asian Games for sepaktakraw. But if we can get two, that would be a bonus for sepaktakraw and a bonus for the country," said Mohd Sumali, who is also Malaysia's Chef de Mission (CDM) for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.

He made these remarks to reporters during a visit by the CDM and Deputy Chef de Mission (DCDM) to the Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics and Karate training venues in preparation for the 2026 Asian Games at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil today.

He said Malaysia is only permitted to participate in a maximum of two events each for the men's and women's categories in Japan.

According to him, the men's squad will compete in the regu and team regu events, while the women's squad will shoulder the challenge in the double and quadrant events.

The national sepaktakraw squad previously won silver medals in both the men's regu and team regu events at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sumali hopes the national contingent can achieve an extraordinary overall performance in Japan by bringing home as many gold medals as possible.

Acknowledging that the mission will not be easy as they face fierce competition at the Asian level, he remains confident that it is not impossible based on the capabilities of several national athletes who have previously advanced to the finals of international tournaments.

Therefore, he wants all athletes to use the remaining one month before the games to maintain their performance, safeguard their health and discipline, and avoid last-minute injuries that could jeopardise the national contingent's targets.

In the meantime, he added that the medal targets are expected to be announced soon.

The national contingent won six gold, eight silver, and 18 bronze medals in Hangzhou.

-- BERNAMA