KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 (Bernama) — The Malaysia Teqball Association (MTA) plans to scout for new talent, including among former sepak takraw players, to strengthen the national squad ahead of several major tournaments, including the 2026 Asian Games.
Its president, J. Siva Kumar, said the move is relevant as sepak takraw players possess an advantage in terms of basic skills that are similar to teqball, and could help raise the country’s level of play.
However, he stressed that recruited players cannot rely solely on their sepak takraw skills, as teqball also requires mastery of different techniques and game strategies.
“We want to invite former sepak takraw players and establish good cooperation with the Sepak Takraw Federation of Malaysia so that talents who are no longer active in the sport can switch to teqball.
“We once had a female athlete who represented the country in this sport in 2018, and she was actually a former sepak takraw player from Sabah. That is why I think that might have enabled her to defeat a Thai player, as she came 100 per cent from a sepak takraw background,” he told reporters recently.
However, he acknowledged that efforts to recruit new players still face constraints, particularly in terms of permanent training facilities, which the association has yet to secure.
“Some of them are indeed interested, but the problem is that we do not have a permanent training venue. So they may feel we are not serious because there are no suitable facilities.
“In fact, we only need a hall the size of a badminton or sepak takraw court to conduct training consistently,” he said.
Commenting on the challenge at the Asian Games, Siva Kumar said Malaysia are expected to compete in five categories — men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles — with Thailand likely to be the main challenger.
“For the Asian Games, I think our realistic target is to win the bronze medal (like we did at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand). But with more systematic training, I believe there is also a chance to improve to silver,” he said.
He added that before the prestigious Games, the national squad are scheduled to compete in several warm-up tournaments, including the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, the Asian Indoor Games and the Malaysia Teqball League in the Klang Valley.
— BERNAMA
