ALOR SETAR, Nov 1 (Bernama) — Exponents as young as five years old are among some 2,000 silat practitioners competing in the inaugural edition of the 2024 National Open and International Invitation Silat Championship, which began here last night.
The five-day championship, organised by the National Silat Federation of Malaysia (Pesaka) and the Silat Pusaka Gayong Malaysia Association, features various categories and offers prizes totalling RM56,000.
Kedah Pesaka patron Datuk Zuraidi Rahim said the event will unearth emerging silat talent that could be nurtured to represent the state and the country, including at the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA).
“This is part of our two-year agenda to polish new talent so they can represent Kedah in upcoming championships,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony of the championship.
He also expressed hope that the championship would reignite the art of silat in the state, which has previously produced many silat athletes who won medals for the country.
Zuraidi said Kedah Pesaka also intends to establish a silat academy as a platform to elevate the martial art and foster new talent within the state.
According to him, the absence of such an academy has left Kedah somewhat behind other states in silat sports at championship levels, including SUKMA.
“If we look back at the 80s and 90s, many silat athletes from Kedah contributed medals at both the national and international levels,” he said.
— BERNAMA
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