KUALA LUMPUR – National sepak takraw coach, Ahmad Jais Baharun, sees little advantage in Malaysia’s privilege to name 16 players for the upcoming ISTAF World Cup in May.
During the recent meeting of the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) and the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF), the host country, Malaysia, was granted the privilege to field 16 players, compared to the usual 14 for other competing nations.
While this is not a new arrangement, as ISTAF had previously granted similar privileges for Malaysia during the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur 2017, and for several other host nations of sepak takraw championships, Jais elaborated on the limitations of this privilege.
Out of the 16 players, Jais clarified that only 12 of them are designated for the team regu event and cannot be substituted.
The remaining four players can only be interchanged for the inter regu and doubles events.
“For me, the advantage is somewhat limited because the main focus of this World Cup is the team regu event, and the 12 designated players are fixed and cannot be replaced.
“In essence, our situation remains largely unchanged. The true advantage would have been if we could utilise all 16 players as we did during the SEA Games, allowing for flexibility in response to injuries or other circumstances within the team.
“Thus, the inclusion of the extra four players, who cannot participate in the team event, seems somewhat redundant,” Jais told Scoop.
The ISTAF World Cup Championship, scheduled from May 18 to 26 at Titiwangsa Stadium, Kuala Lumpur will feature 12 countries in the Premier Division, including Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, India, China, and the Philippines.
Nine other countries, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Germany, France, and Taiwan, will compete in Division One.
This championship will mark the return of the 15-point scoring system, replacing the 21-point system last used at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last September. – March 30, 2024