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World Sepaktakraw News In English

Bernama- 30 Dec 2002 -Top Players Expected At Kelantan Takraw Invitational

Clubs from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Singapore have confirmed their participation in the Kelantan international sepak takraw invitational championship, which will be held on April 5 and 6 next year.

"We hope leading players from Thailand will play in the inaugural championship," Kelantan Sepak Takraw Federation vice-president I Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin told Bernama here Monday.

He said Kelantan would be the only state team playing in the championship to be held at the State Sports Council Hall in Jalan Telipot.

"This championship is not open to other states because we want to use it to gauge the standard of Kelantan players against foreign teams," he said.

NTS Online - 26 Dec 2002 -Left to rot by PSM

Although Firdaus Ghani - one of the trio ejected from Busan and later suspended for two years - maintained his innocence, 2002 will go down in history for the wrong reasons for a sport which was once truly Malaysia's domain.

The fact that PSM were given a showcause letter by Sports Commissioner Datuk Mahamad Zabri Min illustrated the government's intention to clean up the sport that has been poorly managed.

The showcause letter was issued as the Sports Commissioner's office felt that the report submitted by the PSM on the issue of drug abuse was not satisfactory and that the association had wilfully failed to curb the usage of drugs among their athletes.

In revealing the disappointment at the report submitted by PSM, Sports Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein said that the association seemed to have forgotten the lesson of 1999.

At that time the sport was tainted with allegations of drug abuse, with several veteran players being suspended for taking ganja.

PSM rightfully should have thought of measures to overcome this malady and nip the matter on the bud.

But rather than learn from the mistakes of the past, they allowed the shameful act to repeat itself.

Hishammuddin was scathing in his remarks.

The Minister, in explaining the Commissioner's decision, said: "Though they held an inquiry and subsequently came out with the punishments, we are not happy with the manner in which the whole matter was handled.

Thus it is our decision to issue them a showcause letter to explain why action should not be taken against them in this matter.

The association has one month to respond to the showcause after which we shall decide the next course of action.� The Minister's affirmative action came close on the heels of the three-month suspension on Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU).

The disgraced trio - Firdaus, Aznan Raslan and Hanif Azman, were found guilty of drug abuse by the PSM and slapped a two-year ban each for knowingly consuming cough mixture containing morphine prior to the Asian Games in Busan.

Hanif, Firdaus and Aznan were sent home from Busan after a random dope test of their urine samples, collected prior to their departure, proved positive.

The PSM subsequently set up a committee chaired by vice-president Zainal Abidin Zain to investigate the matter and the three players were summoned before the committee.

Among those who testified before the committee were National Sports Institute (ISN) director, Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, National Sports Council (NSC) coordinating officer for sepak takraw, Hazani Hashim, team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin and coach Ismail Ahmad.

Besides Zainal, the other committee members were Sports and Occupational Medicine expert Dr Gurcharan Singh, Bukit Aman narcotics branch officer ASP Azman Mat Jan, PSM competitions committee member Mahathir Mohamad and deputy president of Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress, George Heng.

The two-year suspension took effect on Nov 25 and the PSM made it clear that they would not entertain any appeal.

And after the two-year period is up, the trio will be kept under probation for a year.

Firdaus, a killer with some potential, has hung up his takraw shoes. His father though was adamant in maintaining that his son was a victim of a conspiracy.

In the trio's absence, the team, led by Suhaimi Yusof and Zabidi Shariff, took silver in the team event and bronze in the regu event in Busan, with the Thais continuing their domination in the sport.

Bernama - 5 Dec 2002 -The drug menace

What was even worse for the association and the country was when three of the sepak takraw players were ordered to return home from the Busan Asian Games (from Sept 29 to Oct 14) after they were tested positive for the drug morphine.

Drug abuse was not something new among sepak takraw players. But it is the first time that sportsmen used morphine in the country's sports history.

A few years ago, several national sepak takraw players were sacked from the squad when they were said to smoke ganja.

The Busan disgrace seemed to show that STAM was not serious in rooting out the drug menace although they had promised Hishammuddin and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) that they would stamp out the menace.

It is hoped that the two-year suspension imposed on the three players would not be repeated, unlike the ganja episode where the players were freed from their suspension after several months and returned to represent the nation.

Badminton which has always done the nation proud, were also tainted by their own problems.

Although they emerged runners-up in the 2002 Thomas Cup in Guangzhou, China, and bagged three gold in the Manchester Commonwealth Games, their squabbles showed up the weaknesses of their top officials.

Bernama - 27 Nov 2002 -Give More Time To PSM To Submit Report, Says OCM Secretary

The Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM) should be given more time to submit its report to the Sports Commissioner on the doping case involving three national players.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said this was because the result of the investigating committee leading to the two-year suspension of the players was only announced three days ago.

The PSM could be allowed to submit its report before its meeting on Dec 1 or before the Hari Raya on Dec 6, he said when contacted here Tuesday.

Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said PSM could face suspension itself if it did not submit the report on the case.

"PSM should be given more time (to submit the report) because if we look at the court, the written judgement takes time," he said.

PSM last Sunday found three national players, Mohd Aznan Raslan, Mohd Firdaus Abdul Ghani and Mohd Haniff Azman guilty for taking banned cough mixture and sentenced them to a two-year suspension.

A random test on their urine samples before they left for Busan for the Asian Games last September tested positive for morphine.

Kok Chi said the Sports Commissioner should discuss the matter with PSM.

Bernama- 26 Nov 2002 -STAM Face Suspension If Delay In Submitting Report Continues

The Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (STAM) have been told that they will face suspension if they fail to immediately submit the report on the doping issue which involved three national players.

Youth and Sports Ministry Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said STAM should have submitted their report to the Sports Commissioner by last Friday but had failed to do so.

"I will discuss (the issue) with the Sports Commissioner tomorrow (today). If he has yet to receive the report, I will ask him to invoke the Sports Development Act".

He told reporters this after attending the breaking of fast at the Chenderong Balai mosque near here last night.

Hishammuddin said if STAM kept on delaying the report, they could face a similar situation as to what had happened to the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU).

Earlier this year, the MAAU were suspended by the Sports Commissioner for failing to settle their problems which had inhibited development of athletics in the country.

Yesterday STAM announced that they have suspended national players Mohd Aznan Raslan, Mohd Firdaus Abdul Ghani and Mohd Haniff Azman for two years after they found the trio guilty of knowingly consuming cough mixture containing morphine before leaving for the recent Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

The trio were booted out from the Malaysian contingent in Busan after they tested positive for morphine in tests conducted by the National Sports Institute (NSI).

Hishammuddin said he was unhappy with STAM's lackadaisical attitude in submitting the report and this would jeopardise the development of sepak takraw in the country.

Bernama -24 Nov 2002 -Two-Year Suspension For Three Players For Taking Banned Cough Mixture

Three national sepaktakraw players, Hanif Azman, Firdaus Abdul Ghani and Aznan Raslan have been suspended for two years from competition after they were found guilty of taking a cough mixture containing morphine during the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea last month.
 

The Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM) Council slapped the suspension on the trio Sunday after a three-and-half-hour meeting, chaired by acting president Tengku Muhammad Sultan Abu Bakar here.

"After studying the report of the investigating committee, we find them guilty of breaching the IOC (International Olympic Committee) doping code," Tengku Muhammad told reporters later.

He said the suspension would take effect from today and the council would not entertain appeal to reduce the suspension period.

"Upon expiry of the suspension period, they will be kept under observation for a year and if they repeat the offence, we will not hesitate to impose life suspension on them," he said.

Tengku Muhammad said the three players had failed to provide reasonable answers as to how and where they had obtained the banned cough mixture.

He said the Sports Commissioner would also be informed of the decision.

Hanif, Firdaus and Aznan who were in Busan were sent home after a random dope test on their urine samples, collected prior to their departure, was found positive and contained morphine.

The PSM subsequently set up a committee chaired by vice-president Zainal Abidin Mohd Zain to investigate the matter.

The Star - 13 Nov 2002 -STAM committee to call up witnesses in doping scandal

The committee set up by the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (STAM) to investigate the doping scandal, which involved three national players, have finally awakened from their slumber. 

The chairman, Zainal Abidin Mohd Zain, said that the committee had identified several key witnesses and would call them to assist in the probe. 

�We will call them (witnesses) as soon as possible,� said Zainal Abidin, who is also the STAM vice-president, yesterday. 

The committee have only 13 days to submit a report to STAM�s Council meeting on Nov 24 in connection with the doping fiasco, which resulted in three national players being sent home from the Asian Games in Busan last month. 

To date, many have questioned the existence of the probe committee. 

Yesterday a news report quoted several key witnesses in the investigation as saying that they had not been called to testify before the committee, who were set up more than two weeks ago. 

Among them were National Sports Institute (NSI) director Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz and team manager for the Asiad, Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin. 

The trio � Mohd Hanif Azman, Mohd Firdaus Abdul Ghani and Mohd Aznan Raslan � were sent home after they were tested positive for morphine in doping tests conducted by the NSI. 

The issue became controversial with some parties saying that the NSI should not have delayed in conducting the tests and the manner the outcome was announced. 

The STAM, at their special council meeting on Oct 17 in Perak, decided to form a probe committee, who were given one month to carry out investigations and submit a report to the association. 

When asked whether the committee were capable of completing their task within the given period, Zainal said: �If there are too many (people) doing the talking (statements), then it will be difficult for us (to complete the probe).�

TNSA news- 8 Nov 2002 -The VIth Junior National Sepaktakraw Championship held in Khuman Lumpak Stadium

This tournament will be held at the Khuman Lampak Stadium which was the venue for the V^th national games 1999. About 23 states are expected to participate in the tournament. The Tournament extend 4 days with both team & regu events to be held in men & women categories. Manipur start as favourites as usual this time also having the home advantage. This will the programme of TAMILNADU team to manipur....

Tamilnadu mens team was selected by the selection committee on 3rd November & the team is a combination of experienced players & new faces. Coached by V.Satish & Captained by Srikkanth the team is confident of taking a medal in the "VI^th JUNIOR NATIONAL SEPAKTAKRAW CHAMPIONSHIPS , IMPHAL , MANIPUR.

V.Satish ace player of Tamilnadu senior team has been coaching the team for the past 3 months.

In the last junior nationals at barielly ,U.P, Tamilnadu was not having a great team as the ace players were absent which led to defeat in the quaterfinals. TamilNadu has been performing well in the past national tournaments recently when the sub - juniors won bronze at sonipet , haryana & the seniors winning silver at kurnool , Andhra Pradesh with some useful sponsors from GAJAHEMAS , Malaysia. TamilNadu is also Thankful to Takrawworld website & Gajahmas website for their technical helps.

07/11/2002 - Departure to imphal ,manipur.
11/11/2002 - Team Arrival to manipur.
12/11/2002 - practice sessions.
13/11/2002 - Medical checkup & submission of attested age certificates.
14/11/2002 to 17/11/2002 - championship dates.
18/11/2002 - Departure from manipur.
21/11/2001 - Arrival to chennai , Tamilnadu.

Tamilnadu will spend a fortnight at Manipur for this championships. From the TNSA website we wish a very best of luck to Tamil Nadu junior boys team.

For more TNSA info, please check out link at  http://www.tntakraw.20m.com

The Star - 7 Nov 2002 -Kelantan want Narong to continue as takraw coach

The Kelantan Sepak Takraw Federation (Gastak) have offered a new contract to coach Narong Chai Khew. 

The federation�s vice-president, Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin, said yesterday that he would meet Narong soon to discuss the contract and he was confident that the former Thai international would accept the offer. 

Narong was the foreign player in the Kelantan team two years ago and he was appointed assistant coach last year. The former tekong was made the coach this year and led Kelantan to three titles in the national Grand Prix Tour. 

Assisted by Mohamad Adnan Mat, Narong charted Kelantan�s successful campaigns in their home Open tournament, Kedah Open and Grand Prix Finals. 

Tengku Adnan also said that Gastak would ask Manaf Daud to stay on as team manager. 

�We�re happy with his role in bringing success to Kelantan this year and we hope that he will agree to the appointment,� he said.

Utusan Express - 19 Oct 2002 -Kelantan win final leg of National Sepaktakraw GP finals

Favourites Kelantan lived up to their top billing by winning the final leg of the Perilly's National Sepaktakraw Grand Prix Finals after beating Terengganu 2-0 at the Indera Mulia Stadium here today.

They had earlier won the Kelantan and Kedah legs and today's victory earned them RM7,000 while Terengganu, who upset Selangor in the semi-finals yesterday, walked away with RM5,000.

In the final today, Kelantan were no match for the Terengganu side and easily won both the regus in 85 minutes.

Mohd Normanizam Ahmad, Mohd Irfan Mohd Daud and Mohd Ashraf Mamat won the first set 21-14 against Mohd Fadli Mohd, Mohd Rahisyam Ramli and Zulhafizazudin Roslan.

However, the Terengganu players fought back gallantly in the second set and even led 20-19 at one stage but the Kelantan trio kept their composure to win 22-20.

Their second regu of Sulaiman Salleh, Baharil Che Mamat and Mohd Rozi Abdul Rahman strolled to an easy win over Tengku Mohd Shukri Tengku Besar, Rosmadi Abdul Ghani and Fakrud Ruthan Ismail.

Sulaiman's powerful service was instrumental in Kelantan's 21-17, 21-12 win over their opponents.

Utusan Express - 18 Oct 2002 -East coast affair in takraw final

Kelantan and Terengganu have made to the final of the Perilly's National Sepak Takraw Grand Prix Finals an east coast affair, winning their respective semifinals at the Indera Mulia Stadium here tonight.

Favourites Kelantan outclassed homesters Perak 2-0 while Terengganu overcame a stubborn Selangor 2-1.

The final will be played at the stadium at 3 pm tomorrow.

Kelantan, winners of the Kelantan and Kedah legs, won the first regu through Mohd Normanizam Ahmad, Mohd Irfan Mohd Daud and Mohd Ashraf Mamat who beat Perak's Ridzual Nizam Zakaria, Fazlan Amini Zulkifli and Mohd Hafni Musa 21-18, 21-13 in 45 minutes.

Kelantan's second regu of Sulaiman Salleh, Baharil Anuar Che Mamat and Mohd Rozi Abdul Rahman made sure of their place in the final with a 21-10, 21-16 win over Norzazlan Mohd Zain, Zaharuddin Hussain and Mohd Helmi Musa in 35 minutes.

Terengganu snatched the first regu when their combination of Mohd Fadli Mohd, Mohd Rahisyam Ramli and Zulhafizazudin Roslan defeated Selangor's Norazman Abdul Hamid, Azri Aziz and Effendy Abdul Rahman 21-16, 21-15.

However, Tengku Mohd Shukri Tengku Besar, Rosmadi Abdul Ghani and Fakrud Ruthan Ismail failed to clinch the winning point when they lost to Mohd Zamzee Mohd Zainuddin, Mohd Putra Ghani and Najib Imran 10-21, 18-21.

In the deciding match, Terengganu's Che Sahilmi Ibrahim, Amir Zaidi and Mohd Nazimie Mohd beat Khairul Bahrin Abdul Rahman, Ahmad Jais Baharom and Nurakmal Firdaus Ahmad 21-17 to book a place in the final.

Utusan Express - 18 Oct 2002 -MSA set up committee to probe dope issue

The Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association (MSA) have set up a committee to probe allegations that three national players have consumed drugs before going to the recent Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

MSA deputy president Datuk Tengku Mohamad Abu Bakar said the committee, chaired by association vice-president Zainal Abidin Zain, were expected to finish their investigations within a month.

Tengku Mohamad said the MSA were puzzled as how morphine was detected in the players' urine samples as they had claimed that they took cough mixture during a tournament in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

"We want to make sure first before taking any action against the trio," he said after chairing the MSA council meeting here today.

National players Mohd Aznan Raslan, Mohd Firdaus Abdul Ghani and Mohd Haniff Azman were sent home from the Busan Asiad after their urine samples tested positive for morphine.

The findings of the committee would be used as the guidelines when deciding on the appropriate action against the three players, he said.

Tengku Mohamad also called on the sports authorities to conduct dope tests on all players bound for assignments abroad and to announce the results before they left.

"This is to prevent the recurrence of the Busan incident," he said.

Utusan Express - 18 Oct 2002 -Avoid leaders with vested interests, sports bodies told

Members of sports associations have been urged not to choose sports leaders from among those who have political and other interests.

In making the call, Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) president Datuk Khalid Yunus said this would also prevent the respective sports organisations from being led by the wrong persons.

"If there are officials who want to use the sports bodies for the personal interests, I don't think that this is fair.

"Politicking during (sports bodies') elections is really unhealthy. The members should pick those who are really interested," he told reporters after the news conference on the "XPDC 4x4 Off Road Jeram Berungut Trail" here today.

Khalid was asked to comment on the statement by Kinabatangan MP, Datuk Bung Raden Moktar, who urged all sports associations' leaders who had been holding to their posts for too long, to step aside as they were no longer able to contribute to sports development.

Khalid said sports leaders should be aiming to bring glory to their sportsmen and associations instead of focusing on their personal agenda.

When asked on whether he would step down once there is a suitable replacement waiting, Khalid said: "If they ask politicians to pull out from sports, then I will say that I am ready to quit tomorrow".

Khalid who is also the Deputy Information Minister, said the present crop of sports leaders should review whether their respective roles had been effective in leading the sports organisations.

The three-day 4-wheel drive expedition, held by the Broadcasting Department's Sports Council, begins from Hotel de Palma, Ampang before moving to Hulu Langat, Genting Peres, Jeram Berungut, Ulu Kenaboi, Kampung Esok, Kampung Langkap and Kuala Pilah.

About 30 4-wheel drive vehicles will take part in the expedition which begins Oct 25.

Utusasn Express - 17 Oct 2002 -PSM yet to submit report on dope fiasco

The Sports Commissioner's Office has yet to receive the official report from the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association (PSM) over the doping issue which has plagued the sports body lately.

Sports Commissioner Datuk Mahamad Zabri Min said the report was vital before he decided on the next course of action against the PSM and three national players who were recently tested positive for drugs.

"We were still waiting for the official report (from the PSM). Any action would be based on the report," he told reporters after attending the Youth and Sports Ministry's weekly meeting here today.

Mahamad Zabri is the ministry Secretary-General.

Three national sepak takraw players - Firdaus Ghani, Aznan Raslan and Haniff Azman - were sent home from the Busan Asian Games after their urine samples tested positive for morphine.

News reports said the two urine samples were taken from the trio before they left for Busan and both samples tested positive for dope.

There were also previous allegations that a number of the national players had been using drugs.

Mahamad Zabri said there was no deadline for the PSM to meet but he preferred for the report to be submitted as soon as possible to assist the association in clearing up their image.

The Sports Commissioner also directed the PSM to hold a meeting to appoint their new president.

"The PSM need a new president and committee members to enable them to move on a right track," he said.

Last August, PSM president Datuk Saidin Thamby was sentenced to a year's imprisonment and fined RM10,000 in lieu of six months in jail after he was found guilty of accepting RM1 million in bribes from a company in 1997.

However Saidin was granted the stay of execution pending his appeal to the High Court.

Mahamad Zabri said despite Saidin's appeal still pending, the latter can be stripped off his PSM post as provided under the Sports Development Act 1997.

Utusan Express - 17 Oct 2002-T'ganu, K'tan advance to semis in Takraw GP

Terengganu and Kelantan have advanced to the semifinal stage in the National Sepak Takraw Grand Prix (GP) Finals after registering wins against their respective opponents today.

Playing in the Indera Mulia Stadium here, Kelantan defeated Kedah 2-0 in Group A to join Selangor in the last four.

In Group B, Terengganu outplayed Armed Forces 2-0 to book a semifinal ticket. The other semifinal berth from Group B will be decided between Perak and Armed Forces.

Today Perak, who were beaten 1-2 by the Armed Forces yesterday, beat Penang 2-1 to rejuvenate their semifinal hopes

TNSA - 16 Oct 2002 -TN silent killers take their first gold beating TN Gallege Guru

TN SILENT KILLERS consisiting of Balaji.s , suriya , keerthi sekhar took the gold beating TN GALLEGE GURUS 21 - 16 , 21 - 17 in the rain affected finals.Resuming the yesterday's situatio of 21 - 16 , 14 - 10 ... TN GALLEGE GURUS took some quick points early to make the scores even , but TN SILENT KILLER'S Balaji was able to finsh the game with some deadly headers & feather like drops to finish off the game at 21 -16 , 21 -17 to take the title for the first time. It was nice to see the clash between TN ace players Balaji & Satish in the opposite teams.

Earlier TN RISING STARS took the bronze medal defeating TN YOUTH 21 - 14 , 21 -14.Chief guest Sir C.A.JOSE former INDIAN team player ,former TN Captain , national refree presented the medals to the players & has announced a cash award of RS 1000 to the regu team if they take any medal at the junior nationals at manipur

The surprising news is that the three players YOGESH , BALABHARATHI , LOKESH who were selected for the TamilNadu team to manipur were announced suspension for the 9th Dawn to dusk sepaktakraw championships for thier absence in thier match sessions.In Particular YOGESH was fired out of the TAMILNADU team for certain other reasons.The coach has planned to give a chance to one of the 6 stand byes to represent TN in the forthcoming junior nationals at Manipur. 'V.Satish' has taken charge as coach of the tamilnadu team to maipur.He is confident that TN TEAM will try hard take a silver at the nationals.

Utusan Express - 16 Oct 2002 -Kelantan relying on tekong power for GP crown

Kelantan are relying on the skills of their tekong in the bid to win the National Sepak Takraw Grand Prix (GP) Finals for the first time.

The four-day tournament kicked-off today in the Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh, Perak.

Kelantan Sepak Takraw Federation (Gastak) president Fauzi Abdul Lazid expressed confidence that his charges, powered by their tekong, would face few problems in laying their hands on the crown.

Speaking to Bernama here today, Fauzi said Kelantan had been unbeatable in the first two circuits of the national GP competition.

They demolished the Armed forces to win their home championship here in May and outplayed Perak to win the Kedah Open in Gurun last July.

Fauzi said Kelantan had already created history for themselves by finishing top in the GP rankings, which was never done before.

"Our tekong Mohd Normanizam Ahmad and Sulaiman Salleh have been very lethal. They played well in the GP circuits and I am confident that they will pull us through," he said.

TNSA News - 15 Oct 2002 -The 8th TNSA dawn to dusk Chennai tournament

The 8th TNSA dawn to dusk chennai sepaktakraw championships was played today & TN SILENT KILLERS marched unbeaten to the finals where they met the 6^th time finalists in 8 tournaments TN GALEEGE GURUS CAPTAINED BY SATISH.They were 21 - 16 , 14 - 10 in the match when rained played smashed at he court which is as powerful as a strike at busan games.The game is to be resumed tommorow as the teams battle for the gold medal which is now in favour of TN SILENT KILLERS CAPTAINED BY BALAJI.

Earlier TN SILENT KILLERS beat TN RISING STARS 21 - 18 , 21 - 16 in the second semifinals & TN GALLEGE GURUS showed thier supremacy in reaching the finals the 6^th time in 7 appearences by beating TN YOUTH 21 - 18 , 21 - 14 in a match which had quite a lot of rivalry actions.TN RISING STARS lost thier 3^rd match against TN SILENT KILLERS in all the three meeting between them , although in all the three TN RISING STARS were right there till the end of the game....more news tommorow

Bernama - 14 Oct 2002 -Suspending PSM No Solution To Takraw Fiasco

National sepak takraw team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said suspending the National Sepak Takraw Association (PSM) is not an immediate solution to the association's misfortunes.
 

He said what the PSM really needed was some time to put their house in order, especially after the messy affair where three national players were booted out from the 14th Asian Games for failing dope tests.

Suspending an already ailing association would gradually kill the sport, Tengku Adnan told Bernama after his return from Busan, Monday.

He said this in response to recent news reports which said the national sports authorities were looking into the possibility of suspending the PSM for failing to put their house in order.

Tengku Adnan said he did not think that the PSM wished to defend the three players as the problem was of their own wrong-doing.

The trio of Mohd Firdaus Abdul Ghani, Mohd Aznan Raslan and Mohd Hanif Azman were sent home from Busan after their urine samples tested positive for morphine.

Their absence had weakened the Malaysian squad considerably, forcing them to field an inexperienced trio in the regu competition which saw Malaysia bowing to Myanmar in the semifinals.

The national side had also lost in the team competition final to traditional rivals Thailand.

Tengku Adnan said Malaysia's failure to regain their glory was due to the lack of tekong capable of executing the ace services.

"As for the Thais, they have excellent ones like Sarawat (Innlek) and Suebsak (Phuensab), who are among the world's best," he said.

Tengku Adnan also appealed to the fans to give the national players another chance to improve their show.

"We are moving through a transition period and during such a process there are many shortcomings which we have to address," he said.

"Give us more time and one day we shall regain our former glory and return to the days of legendary players like Adnan Saidin," Tengku Adnan added.

The Star - 10 Oct 2002 -Malaysia�s gamble on takraw rookies backfires

MALAYSIA had two rookies in their inter-regu sepak takraw side for the semi-final match and they lost out on experience against Myanmar at the Dongseo Universiti Gymnasium yesterday. 

Rookies Mohamed Zulkarnian and Mohamed Azman partnered senior Suhaimi Mat Salim and they were beaten 23-21, 18-21 and 7-15 by Aung Myo San Myint, Kyaw Min Soe and Aung Hein. 

The rookies found themselves not equipped to handle the pressure, especially in the tie breaker and surrendered the match, which lasted for more than an hour. 

The Myanmar regu was the same one who defeated Malaysia in the SEA Games last year. 

Team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said that they had little option but to field the two young players. 

�Our most experienced player, Zabidi Shariff, was injured and two other first choice players were sent home (for having tested positive for morphine). Under the circumstances, we felt that this was the best regu to field. We lost but it was a close match,� he said. �We lost out on experience. The Myanmar regu have been together for eight years while we are just starting out.� 

In the final, the same Myanmar regu were beaten 21-14, 21-17 by Thailand�s Woropot Thnogsai, Suebsak Phunsueb and Pornchai Kaokaew. 

Malaysia and Singapore, as losing semi-finalists, were awarded the bronze medal. 

Utusan Express- 9 Oct 2002 -Malaysia beaten by Myanmar in sepak takraw

The Malaysian sepak takraw team faced another humiliation at the 14th Asian Games today when they were beaten by Myanmar in the men's inter-regu semi-finals.

The 2-1 defeat means that they have to settle for the bronze medal together with Singapore, who lost to Thailand in another semi-final.

The trio of Mohamad Zulkarnain Mohamed Arif, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin failed to match the experienced Myanmar team in the match played at the Dongseo University.

The Malaysians committed unforced errors in the second and third sets after registering a slim 23-21 win in the opening set.

They were outplayed by Aung Myo San Myint, Kyaw Min Soe and Aung Hein 18-21 in the second set and 7-15 in the decider.

This was a repeat of the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, where Malaysia settled for the bronze medal after losing to Myanmar in the inter-regu semi-finals.

Malaysian team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said he was not disappointed with the result.

The match, he said, served as a useful lesson for Malaysia's young players.

"We fielded a young team in the regu event to give them exposure and because of the injury suffered by Zabidi Shariff.

Meanwhile, Thailand confirmed their dominance in sepak takraw, winning the gold medal after a straight set win over Myanmar in the final.

The Star - 8 Oct 2002 -Our takraw team virtually through to semis

THE Malaysian inter-regu sepak takraw team have virtually qualified for the semi-finals after chalking up two wins at the Dongseo University Minseok Sports Centre yesterday. 

Malaysia came back from a set down to beat Singapore 2-1 in their first Group B match in the morning. Later, they were made to sweat by South Korea before chalking up a 2-0 win. 

Mohamed Arif Mohd Zulkarnain, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin dropped the first set against Singapore�s Mohamed Fami Mohamed, Adam Nurhisham and Sharil Abdul Shukor � going down 19-21. 

But they put up a better show in the second set, winning 21-11. In the decider, the Malaysians won 15-10. 

In the second match, Malaysia struggled to beat South Korea 21-18, 21-19. 

Yoo Dong-young, Lee Jun-pyo and Kim Jong-hun played very well and came close to upsetting Mohd Ariff, Suhaimi and Mohd Azman. 

Malaysia wrap up their group fixtures against the Philippines today. 

In Group A, defending champions Thailand also won two matches yesterday. They defeated Myanmar (2-1) and Brunei (2-0). 

Worapot Thongsai, Sarawat Innlek and Pornchai Kaokaew faced stiff resistance from the Myanmar regu of Aung Myo San Myint, Kyaw Min Soe and Than Zaw Oo before winning 21-9, 19-21, 15-10. 

In the second match, the Thais had no problem downing Brunei 21-7, 21-10. 

Thailand, who won the gold in the team event on Sunday, are expected to beat Japan today to top the group. Myanmar, who defeated Japan 2-0 yesterday, will have to beat Brunei today to book their place in the semi-finals. 

Utusan Express- 8 Oct 2002 -"Drugs" trio return home

The three national sepak takraw players, who were booted out from the Malaysian camp after being tested positive for morphine, today returned home from the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

The trio of Mohd Firdaus Abdul Ghani, Mohd Haniff Azaman and Mohd Aznan Raslan, arrived at the KL International Airport (KLIA) here at 12.30 pm on board a Thai Airways flight.

After getting down from the plane, Firdaus, 24, immediately left for his mother-in-law's house in Seremban while Haniff, 23, and Aznan, 25, boarded a National Sports Council (NSC) van bound for Bukit Jalil.

Both later returned to their respective home towns with their families who were waiting at the NSC hostel in Bukit Jalil. Haniff is from Terengganu while Aznan, from Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.

When approached by reporters, Firdaus said he did not wish to make any comments for the time being.

"No comments for the time being. Maybe I will be ready in the next two or three weeks. For the moment I wish to go back and rest in Seremban," he said.

However Firdaus said that he was in the dark how his urine was found positive with morphine.

"When we reach Busan, the team manager (Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanudin) called me up and told me about this," he said.

Last Wednesday, chef-de-mission Datuk Khalid Yunus announced that the urine test conducted on the trio turned up positive for morphine, causing them to be sent home from the Busan Asiad.

MEANWHILE, in BUSAN, Malaysia are assured of a semifinal berth in the Asian Games men's sepak takraw regu competition after registering a double victory here today.

In the morning, Malaysia took on Singapore in a Group B match at the Dongseo University and beat their traditional rivals 2-1.

However Mohammad Zulkarnain Mohamed Arif, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin had to struggle against Singapore's Mohamed Mohamad Fami, Adam Nurhisham and Abdul Shukor Sharil.

The Malaysian trio narrowly lost the first game 19-21 before battling back to win the second 21-11. They won the rubber 15-10.

In their second match, Malaysia easily beat South Korea 2-0.

However, it was not an easy victory for the national side as Yoo Dong Young, Lee Jun Pyo and Kim Jong Hun fought hard before yielding 18-21, 19-21.

Malaysia will wrap up their group fixtures against the Philippines tomorrow.

Thailand, the defending champions, are also assured of a semifinal berth after beating Myanmar and Brunei today.

Utusan Express- 7 Oct 2002-M'sia fail to stop Thais in final

Malaysia failed to wrest the gold medal from Thailand in the men's sepak takraw team competition at the 14th Asian Games after losing 1-2 in the final held at Dongseo University here today.

Malaysia were given a walkover for the third regu after the Thais had taken a 2-0 lead to retain the gold medal they won at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.

The national players had no answer against the Thais' superb play especially that of the tekongs who executed the services well.

Malaysia's first regu of Suhaimi Yusof, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin lost to Thai's Worapot Thongsai, Pornchai Kaokaew and Sarawat Innlek 17-21, 8-21.

The Thais got their winning point when Suebsak Phunsueb, Suriyan Peachan and Poonsak Permsap easily tamed Ahmad Ezzat Mohamad Zaki, Zabidi Shariff and Mohammad Zulkarnain Mohamed Ariff 21-10, 21-14.

National coach Suaid Osman said: "We have to admit that we are still behind the Thais in terms of play especially the tekong. They won many points from their services".

"The Thai tekongs were good in creating openings. We lost too many points from their services and our tekongs were not able to cover the court well, unlike theirs," he said.

Suaid said the Thai first regu scored 13 points from their services with the their second regu, 12 points as compared to only three and one for Malaysia respectively.

"If we look at this, how can we win? We have no problems with the left and right apit (killers) as they can match the Thais' rhythm," said Suaid.

Losing semifinalists South Korea and Myanmar took the bronze.

The inter-regu competition starts tomorrow.

Malaysia are in the same Group B with Singapore, South Korea and Philippines while Thailand have Myanmar, Brunei and Japan for company in Group B.

Malaysia last won the regu gold medal in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games.

The Star -7 Oct 2002 -Then takraw boys are whipped by Thais

MALAYSIA again found Thailand too strong to overcome in the team sepak takraw final at the Dongseo University Minseok Sports Centre yesterday. 

The Thais again proved to be the masters of the game, outplaying the Malaysians 2-1 to win the team gold medal for the third consecutive time since the 1994 Hiroshima Asiad. Malaysia last won the gold medal in the 1990 Beijing Games. 

Malaysia�s first regu of Suhaimi Yusof, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin went down 17-21, 8-21 to Worapot Thongsai, Pornchai Kaokaew and Sarawat Innlek.

It was all over for Malaysia when Ahmad Ezzat Mohd Zaki, Zabidi Shariff and Mohd Zulkarnain Mohd Arif crashed to a 10-21, 14-21 defeat by Suebsak Phunsueb, Suriyan Peachan and Poonsak Permsap. The Thais conceded a walkover in the third regu. 

Team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burharnuddin said: �The team had difficulties dealing with the Thais� service and they also made far too many mistakes. 

�The Thais have again proved to us that they are one class above us. They are excellent in the execution of the kuda services and also good in retrieving our shots.� 

Malaysia are playing the sepak takraw competition without the services of three players.  

Mohamed Aznan Raslan, Mohamed Firdaus Abdul Ghani and Mohamed Haniff Azman were not fielded after they tested positive for morphine. The trio were sent home yesterday. 

In the inter-regu competition, which begins today, Malaysia have been drawn in Group B with Singapore, the Philippines and South Korea.  

Defending champions Thailand are in Group A with Myanmar, Brunei and Japan. 

The top two regus in each group will qualify for the semi-finals. 

Malaysia have two matches today � against Singapore in the morning and South Korea in the afternoon. They wrap up their group fixtures against the Philippines tomorrow. 

Malaysia have nine players to choose for a five-man team for the inter-regu competition and Tengku Adnan said that they would make their selection just before the start of the competition. 

�The Koreans have showed vast improvement but we are confident of reaching the final. But beating the Thais will be tough,� said Tengku Adnan. 

The Star -7 Oct 2002 -Hefty price to pay for success in sports

A SILENT epidemic of drug abuse pervades in sports today and we are no strangers to it. Reports like this have always provoked extensive media coverage.  

So, reading about three of our sepak takraw players at the Asian Games having been tested positive for drugs came as no surprise, �Takraw trio sent home in disgrace�� (The Star, Oct 3).  

Because there is big money involved should one bring back a medal, our sportsmen resort to drugs. 

The main concern now is not just about the satisfaction of winning but the rewards for success. The rewards are staggering: houses, property, cash and endorsements. 

The rewards have become so mind-boggling that the interests of people involved in this lucrative business are no longer centred on sportsmanship, ethics and health. 

When the ultimate goal of the drug-taking sportsman is to win at any cost, the cost may be greater than what he realises. He may literally be dying to win.  

Sportsmen have always looked for short-cuts or �boosts�� to their training, and with the increased production and use of performance-enhancing drugs, the abuse of such drugs by sportsmen has increased dramatically. 

Allegations of drug abuse among sepak takraw players have been circulating for a while as reported, and yet no one had the guts to bring in out in the open. 

What takes the cake is that all concerned seemed to be caught by surprise when things were happening under their very noses. They now even have the audacity to say they will not compromise on discipline. 

These officials should be given the boot no matter who or what their connections are.  

The return of our players in disgrace has not only tarnished the name of our country, but has also wasted the tax payers� money sending them to Busan in the first place.

The Star -6 Oct 2002 -Our athletes must take greater care

THREE national sepak takraw players have been ejected from the Asian Games in Busan, forlorn and dejected, after testing positive for the banned substance morphine. They say traces of the drug might have come from medication they had taken a fortnight before. 

The National Sports Council (NSC) meanwhile said the players had been tested positive before their trip to Busan, and had been sent home only after a second test confirmed the results. It would seem that the NSC had given the players the benefit of the doubt the first time, but the same results of the second test proved difficult to ignore. 

This issue concerns more than just three individual athletes, and more than just Malaysian sports and athletics. It has no doubt led to some embarrassment to all Malaysian athletes and officials in Busan. 

It has also meant a waste of time, money and other resources had been expended on the players concerned, now that they are unable to compete. It has no less meant compromising Malaysia�s image and medal hopes at the Games, as well as an erosion of morale among other competitors in the delegation. 

What went wrong? The turn of events is negative on all counts, and is something that no Malaysian would have wanted. 

Furthermore, testing positive for a banned substance is a highly preventable outcome. It is easily preventable through a very simple method: steer clear of all banned drugs and any medication that might contain them, at least in the weeks and months of training prior to competition and testing. 

Essentially, this is no more and no less than what sportsmanship entails. It is incumbent on every competitor to do all that is expected of serious competition. First, it is to know the requirements of competition; second, it is to abide by these rules. The regulations of the Games must have been drilled so much into the competitors by the officials that to run foul of them may seem like improbable negligence. 

Whether one is an unadulterated professional or �just an amateur� in a sport, a sense of professionalism among all competitors must be a given. It is this sense of professionalism that helps to transform a mere Sunday afternoon player into a national representative of the sport. 

A keen sense of professionalism in one�s chosen sport would mean taking good care, by taking great pains to avoid any lapse or error in international competition. It would also mean proper prioritisation to avoid any breach of the regulations, whether real or apparent. 

The three sepak takraw players, described as potential gold medallists, are reportedly seeking a full investigation to clear their name. But whatever the eventual outcome of such an investigation, it would have been better if they had not tested positive for morphine in the first place. 

These top-notch players must have known that there is always a chance of testing positive for a banned substance, as a result of using medication not approved by NSC doctors if nothing else. And with such a test result, no appeal, protest or excuse at Busan is likely to be acceptable to the Games authorities. 

Will Malaysian sports learn a valuable lesson from this episode? Since traces of marijuana had also been discovered in sepak takraw players two years ago, the hope that Malaysian sports will draw useful lessons from this latest outing very much remains to be fulfilled. 

At the very least, the conduct of Malaysian officials and athletes at Busan might be seen in a better light now that the NSC has taken stern and swift measures to remove errant athletes from competition. Still, Malaysians are entitled to expect more than just this limited goodwill-by-default at the Games. 

The Star - 5 Oct 2002 -Bulatan event to be dumped

THE bulatan (circle) event, which provides two gold medals in the sepak takraw competition, will be scrapped from future multi-sport Games. 

The decision has been agreed upon by the will International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) and the Asian Sepak Takraw Associaiton of Asia (ASTAF) but needs to be ratified by the two bodies. 

Malaysian sepak takraw team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said they were just waiting for the two federations to make it official.  

�A lot of countries have raised the issue as we feel that the circle event should not be part of the Games schedule. We do not feel that bulatan has any value and it is certainly not interesting for spectators.� 

Tengku Adnan said that once the decision was endorsed by the two federations, the event would also be excluded from the SEA Games. 

�We may not be able to exclude it from the next SEA Games in Vietnam but it will definitely be out for future Games. 

�I know some countries may feel angry about the decision but I think it is good for the sport,� he said. 

Thailand will be the biggest losers if the event is scrapped. They have always won gold in the medal. At the last SEA Games, they took both the men�s and women�s gold medals. 

In the bulatan event here, the Thais won the gold in the women�s event and silver in the men�s.  

The gold was won by South Korea, their first ever medal in the sport. 

South Korea continued to make waves in the competition by qualifying for the semi-finals of the team event. 

The Koreans defeated Singapore 3-0 in their last group match at the Dongseo Universiti Gymnasium yesterday. 

They will now take on Malaysia in the second semi-final to be played today. 

Tengku Adnan said they would not take the Koreans lightly although they were confident about their chances. 

In the first semi-final played yesterday, the Thais beat Myanmar 2-0 to qualify for the final. 

In the first regu, the Thais won 21-13, 21-14. The second regu also had it easy, winning 21-17, 21-14. 

Bangkok Post -4 Oct 2002-Thai teams on the march

Thailand's men's and women's team both had good wins yesterday at the start of their gold-medal bids.

In the men's first round. Thailand beat Singapore 3-0.

The Thai women proved too strong for the South Koreans, despite the support of the home crowd.

The Thai girls also won 3-0.

In today's semi-finals, the Thai men will meet the winners of Burma and Brunei while the women will meet the winners of China and Vietnam.

uThree members of Malaysia's sepak takraw squad are to be sent home in disgrace after failing doping tests, a team official said yesterday.

Urine samples taken from the three _ Mohamed Aznan Raslan, Mohamed Haniff Azaman and Mohamed Firdaus Ghani _ showed traces of morphine

Utusan Express -4 Oct 2002-Malaysia in semis after beating Brunei

Malaysia, seeking to win at least one gold medal in the sepak takraw competition at the 14th Asian Games here, advanced to the the semifinals of the team event after defeating Brunei 3-0 today.

Inspired by their success against Myanmar yesterday, the national side confidently took on and beat Brunei at the Dongseo Minseok University to top Group B.

Malaysia will play either Singapore or South Korea in the semifinals. The two Group A teams will play their last fixture tomorrow to determine who get the semifinal ticket.

Thailand have already topped Group A after winning their matches against Singapore and South Korea both by 3-0 scores.

In today's match, Malaysia's had an easy passage except for the first regu of Suhaimi Yusof, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin.

They were forced to play in the decider before winning 2-1. The Malaysian side won the first game 21-11. However Brunei retaliated by winning the second game 21-19.

In the rubber, helped by their experience the Malaysian trio outplayed their opponents 15-10.

The combination of Ahmad Ezzat Mohamad Zaki, Zabidi Shariff and Mohammad Zulkarnain Mohamed Arif put Malaysia in the last four when they scored a 21-17, 21-8 win over Brunei's second regu.

Rukman Mustapha, Mohd Fauzi Ghadzali and Noor Ariffin Pawanteh made a clean victory for the national side after thrashing Brunei's third regu 21-15, 21-13.

"Despite winning today, our players were a bit careless. I hope they will not commit the same mistakes in the semifinal match," said team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin.

On Malaysia's chances in the semifinal, Tengku Adnan expressed confident that they would clear their hurdle regardless who they would be playing.

"From my observation since yesterday, I am confident that they will be able to advance to the final be it either meeting Singapore or South Korea in the semifinals," he said.

Utusan Express -4 Oct 2002-We are no dope users, say takraw trio

The three Malaysian sepak takraw players who were told to pack up and head for home after they failed a dope test denied that they had taken drugs.

"We are not drug cheats," the trio told assistant team manager Nasir Musa yesterday.

Mohamed Haniff Azman, Mohamed Firdaus Ghani and Mohamed Aznan Raslan form one regu of the Malaysian sepak takraw team.

Yesterday's meeting with Nasir was the first time the trio had talked with an official about the doping case. Nasir was seen as the official closest to the trio as they have developed a good working relationship over the past four years.

Nasir when met today said the trio had been heavily criticised and most of the officials took the "media account" of what had transpired and had already branded the players as cheats.

"I know these three players well especially Firdaus who is a family friend. I cannot believe that they have taken drugs.

"They broke down yesterday and for the first time since Tuesday they talked in detail about the issue," said Nasir who paid his own passage to Busan despite being the assistant team manager.

"I paid my trip here as the OCM had only approved a certain number of officials for the contingent but I decided to come along as three players are under my charge and I wanted to be here to see them win", he said.

Nasir said the three players had explained that they had taken some medication two weeks ago in a competition in Kuala Lumpur and the positive result could be due to that.

"They were down with fever and cold. So they went to a clinic outside and took the medication. The players should have checked with the NSC doctors and that was their mistake", said Nasir.

"I think whatever drug they were tested positive could be due to the medication and I feel sad for the players as the implication of this act is great," he said.

The trio took part in the MPPJ Open on Sept 19-22 before coming to Busan and they claimed that they took the medication during this tournament.

"I will not defend them if they really took the drugs. But in this case I think it is something else. We need to investigate further and let us not just brand them before a full inquiry is done," he said.

According to Nasir the three players have decided not to talk to anybody until they had sought advice from their families.

"I think it is better that way as we are not sure what will happen next".

The three players are now waiting for confirmation of their flights to go back and at the moment the Malaysian secretariat has not been able to get a flight home for them.

MEANWHILE, sprinter Azmi Ibrahim has a strong message for any athletes contemplating to use drugs - steer clear of this most despicable act.

Azmi should know. He has made a painful return to athletics after serving out a two-year suspension for doping.

He said a doping scandal would not only tarnish the image of the athlete concerned but also that of the country.

"I have experienced the hardship of being suspended for two years for testing positive for a banned substance. I know how difficult it is to regain respect," said Azmi.

He said this when asked to comment on the expulsion of three players from the Malaysian sepak takraw squad here after the results of pre-competition tests done in Kuala Lumpur showed that they had used morphine.

"The taking of banned substances is detrimental to athletes. After that incident I have been very careful," said Azmi.

Azmi, who is entered for the 200 m and 4x100 m in the Asian Games here, arrived today together with the badminton squad.

He expressed surprise over news that Mohamad Aznan Raslan, Mohamad Haniff Azman and Mohamad Firdaus Abdul Ghani had been ordered home for testing positive for drug use.

"I know the consequences and for two years I had tried to clear my name. Until now I'm still being blacklisted," he said.

Azmi said that since then he had been subjected to frequent tests, and before coming here his urine samples were also taken by the National Sports Institute for tests.

Azmi was suspended after his urine samples taken at the 1996 Malaysia Games (Sukma) tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Asked on his mission here, Azmi said he would go all out to improve on his personal best of 20.97s recorded at last year's Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

"I am running for the love of the country. I know competition will be stiff from Kazakhstan and Kuwaiti athletes. The two of them have clocked 20.44s," Azmi said.

Azmi said he would also have to contend with Thai sprinter Sitichai Suwongprateep.

Apart from Azmi, others listed for the 4x100 m are Tan Kok Lim, Kamarudizaman Abu Bakar, Nazmizan Muhammad and Muhamad Zaiful Zainal Abidin.

Star Online -4 Oct 2002 -Takraw team reach last four

MALAYSIA are through to the semi-finals of the team sepak takraw competition. 

Boosted by the win over Myanmar in their opening match on Wednesday, the Malaysians scored an easy 3-0 win over Brunei at the Dongseo University Gymnasium yesterday to finish on top of Group B. They are likely to meet Singapore in the semi-finals. Singapore need to beat South Korea in their final Group A match to advance. 

Favourites Thailand booked their place in the semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Singapore yesterday. The Thais are expected to meet Myanmar, who will play against Brunei today, in the semi-finals. 

Yesterday, Malaysia fielded Suhaimi Yusof, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohd Azman Nasaruddin as their first regu and they had to slog for a 21-11, 19-21, 15-10 win over Junaidi Ahmad, Ramlan Ibrahim and Hasrin Ahmad. 

But the other two Malaysian regus had relatively comfortable victories. 

Ahmad Ezzat Mohamad Zaki, Zabidi Shariff and Mohammad Zulkarnain Mohamed Arif defeated Mohamed Sofian, Rosmadi Kahar and Mohd Kasyfullah 21-17, 21-18 while Rukman Mustapha, Mohd Fauzi Ghadzali and Noor Ariffin Pawanteh scored a 21-15, 21-13 win over Halmi Hamid, Samali Hitam and Ahzaman Mohamed. 

Malaysian manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said that the first regu did not play up to par. 

�They made a lot of mistakes and were not calm in their deliveries. They have to learn from this match. We made some changes to see how the players would fare. It is a good lesson for them,� he said. 

Tengku Adnan said that they were not concerned at all over their semi-final opponents. 

�We are better than Singapore and South Korea. We have a good chance to make the final and I hope the players don�t falter at this stage,� he said. 

Star Online - 3 Oct 2002 -Malaysia need one more win to avoid meeting Thais in semis

MALAYSIA cleared their toughest hurdle in the preliminary round of the team sepak takraw competition, beating fancied Myanmar 3-0 at the Dongseo University Gymnasium yesterday. 

The Malaysians will play against Brunei in their final Group B match and victory will keep them apart from favourites Thailand in the crossover semi-finals. 

The Malaysians went in to the Group B match knowing that they needed a win to avoid favourites Thailand in the cross-over semi-finals 

The Thais had, in an earlier match, beaten South Korea 3-0 in Group A match. 

The Malaysians will play against Brunei in the final group match today and are expected to win it to top the group. 

The trio of Suhaimi Yusof, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Mohamed Azman Nasaruddin eased the pressure on the Malaysian team with a 21-14, 17-21, 15-13 over Aung Myo San Myint, Than Zaw Oo and Kyaw Min Soe. 

And the second regu of Ahamd Ezzat Mohamad Zaki, Zabidi Shariff and Mohammad Zulkarnain went on to clinch the match for Malaysia. 

They defeated Kyaw Zay Ya, Maung Maung and U Aung Kway Nyunt 21-18, 21-16. 

The trio of Rukman Mustapha, Mohd Fauzi Ghadzali and Noor Ariffin Pawanteh made it 3-0 for Malaysia with a 21-12, 21-16 win over Thaung Nyunt, U Aung Kyaw Moe and Thein Zaw Min. 

Before the match began, Myanmar attempted to throw the Malaysians off rhythm with their reserves taking the court during the warm-up. 

Zabidi said that they did not fall for it because they had played against Mynamar before and knew their line-ups well. 

�There was nothing for us to worry about. We were ready and all the players just wanted to go out there to prove ourselves,� said Zabidi after the victory. 

Star Online - 3 Oct 2002 -Takraw trio sent home in disgrace

Sepak takraw has brought disgrace to the Malaysian contingent at the Asian Games. Three players have tested positive for drug abuse and have been told to pack their bags.  

The trio � Mohamed Haniff Azaman, Mohamed Aznan Raslan and Mohamed Firdaus Ghani � who are members of the regu team, are expected to fly home today. 

Their urine samples, taken when compulsory testing was done before they left for the Asiad, were found to contain morphine. 

This is the second time that the national sepak takraw team has been shamed by such a scandal. 

Haniff, Aznan and Firdaus were also members of the team at last year�s SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur which had a player who tested positive for ganja. 

Following the incident, the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) made it a compulsory for all its players to undergo dope testing before any major championship. 

TESTED POSITIVE...(from left) Haniff, Aznan and Firdaus have tested positive for drug abuse and are expected to be sent home today.

Team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said yesterday that the decision to send the trio home was taken on Tuesday night. 

� We also discussed the matter with chef-de-mission Datuk Khalid Yunos and it was agreed that we send them home immediately. I understand that flights are available for them to go home tomorrow,� said Tengku Adnan. 

Khalid said the results of the urine tests were only known on Tuesday. 

�This is major embarrassment and a sad day for Malaysian sports. These players are young and I just cannot understand why they did it,� said Khalid after watching Malaysia beat Myanmar in its opening match in the team event at the Dongseo University Gymnasium yesterday. 

He said the entire team could have run the risk of disqualification if the trio had tested positive here. 

All three players were under the National Sports Council�s (NSC) Gemilang 2001 project to prepare athletes for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. 

Tengku Adnan said officials had high hopes for these players and had been counting on them to end Thailand�s dominance in the game.  

Malaysia�s last win over the Thais was when the team won the gold medal at the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994. 

Firdaus and Aznan were key players in the present national team. The two were in the team which picked up the silver medal at the World Cup inter-regu championships in Singapore two months ago.  

The regu gave hope of a Malaysian revival in the sport when they gave the Thais a scare and lost by only a whisker in the final. The fancied Thai regu could only manage a narrow 21-19, 23-21 win over Malaysia. 

At the last Asiad in Bangkok in 1998, Malaysia managed two silvers from the inter-regu and the team events while the bronze came from the bulatan event. 

The takraw team for the Asiad had been running into one problem after another since their arrival in Busan. 

It found itself disqualified for the bulatan competition because it had not registered for the event.  

But the team made a successful appeal for reinstatement to the Olympic Council of Asia.  

It would have been better for the team if it had stay out of the event.  

The members performed poorly and finished sixth in the seven-team competition. 

With the dismissal of the three, the team is now left with nine players to carry on the challenge in the team and regu events. 

Bernama - 2 Oct 2002 -Separate Programmes Needed To Develop Sepak Raga Bulatan

The Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association (PSM) have been told to draw up specific programmes to develop sepak raga bulatan so that Malaysia can put up a stronger challenge in the event.

Chef-de-mission Datuk Khalid Yunus said Tuesday that this was the only way for Malaysia to produce quality players.

"Special attention should be given to popularising the sepak raga bulatan and PSM should look into developing the event in a more organised and serious manner," he said when asked to comment on the early exit of the sepak raga bulatan team at the Asian Games here.

"We cannot use sepak takraw (jaring) players to play in the bulatan because there is too much difference in the style of play. PSM should have two sets of players to make things easy," he said.

Khalid also urged PSM to organise sepak raga bulatan competitions at the various levels.

"How can you use the same players to play in the sepak raga bulatan? After all they are not prepared for that...as a result they flopped," said Khalid.

However, Khalid said their defeat was shocking and that the players lacked concentration in their game.

"Maybe they were affected by the earlier incident which disqualified them... that should not be an excuse because this is our traditional game and we should be able to perform better," he said.

"I think their defeat was a case of lack of preparation," he said.

The sepak raga bulatan team, who won the bronze in Bangkok four years ago, were knocked out in the first round.

The Star- 2 Oct 2002 -S. Korea win as Thais cry foul

SOUTH Korea upset Thailand for the men�s sepak takraw bulatan title yesterday as Thai coaches blasted judges for favouring the host nation. 

South Korea scored 5,781 points to dethrone the reigning champions by 58 while the Thai women, stung by a shockingly low total in qualifying, bounced back to win gold as expected with 5,198 points to 4,431 for Myanmar. 

�It�s not an exaggeration to say the Thai teams are far better than any in this competition,� an upset Thai coach, Narong Thongtip, said. 

�I have watched every team. We are the best. We fear nothing if it is fair play.� 

Thai team manager Niphon Siriarporntham said that the women, whose 957 total in preliminaries was only good for fourth, felt tense over the judging after losing Asiad gold to Myanmar four years ago and qualifying only fourth in Busan. 

�The first two rounds, my players were under pressure. The calls before had not been clear. We were able to handle the pressure,� said Niphon. 

The bulatan game requires five players on each team working together while standing in a circle to keep the ball in the air over three 10-minute periods, usually with difficult leaping back-heel kicks for higher points from judges. 

The judging squabble is another setback for sepak takraw officials, who hope to see their sport in the Olympics one day. 

But that cannot happen before 2012 and the last thing Olympic officials want in the wake of the figure skating scandal at this year�s Salt Lake City Winter Olympics is another sport that brings dubious decision making.

Xinhuanet- 01 Oct 2002 -S.Korea, Thailand win sepaktakraw titles in Asiad

South Korea beat Thailand's dominancein sepaktakraw by winning the men's circle final in the Asian Games here on Tuesday.

The host team scored 5,781 points for the gold and Thailand gotthe silver with 5,723.

Myanmar was third with 5,180 points. Earlier Thailand won the gold medal of the women's circle by scoring 5,198 points.

Myanmar finished second at 4,431 points and South Korea was third at 3,883 points. Sepaktakraw has been played in Southeast Asia since the 11th century. The modern game is played in two formats, both requiring extreme skill and acrobatic ability.

In the "regu" form, two teams of three play a high-speed version of volleyball, except that the players keep the coconut-sized wicker ball up predominately with their feet and heads and are not allowed to use their hands.

Teams of five play in circle sepaktakraw, where the object is to get the ball through a hoop high above their heads.

In the last Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand swept five out of the six golds in the sport.

Bangkok Post -01 Oct 2002 -Thais up for gold

Thailand's men and women's circle takraw teams have qualified for the finals today and have a good chance of winning the first gold medals for the Kingdom at this Asiad.

The two Thai teams are the defending champions and yesterday the men's team set a national record of 5,021 points in the semi-finals.

Hosts South Korea scored 4,941 points while the Burmese team had 4,940.

The Thai women's team recorded 4,828 points.

Thailand's team manager Nipol Siriapornthum said: ``I think we have a 50-50 chance of winning gold medals in both the men's and the women's.

``It will be tough for our teams because the referees are sure to favour the home teams and there is no scoreboard in the gymnasium.

``It is a good test for the Thai players to see whether they have good concentration or not.''

The Nation - 1 Oct 2002 -Refereeing controversy

The Thai circle sepak takraw squads sailed through to the finals at the Dongseo University Minseok Sports Center amid controversy over the refereeing yesterday.

The men's team scored 1,675, 1,664 and 1,682 in the first to third sets for an aggregate of 5,021 points to earn a semi-finals berth, followed by unfancied South Korea, 1998 silver medallists Burma and Japan.

However, there was controversy in the morning match for the Thai women's team.

Coach Narong Thongtip claimed the South Korean judges gave unfair scores to the Thai team, while exaggerating the scores for the home teams, raising doubts about the local girls' chances in today's final.

The Thai women had an unusually low score of 957 points in the morning session when they normally score more than 1,300. But they made amends in the afternoon session with 1,492, 1,585 and 1,738 for a total of 4,815 points. The Burmese women came second with 4,192 points with the hosts and Vietnam coming third and fourth with 3,896 and 3,718 points.

"They did not give points to our players when they stepped on the line, but when the South Koreans did the same, they still received points. This is very unfair,'' complained the emotional Thai coach, who said the Thai teams scored higher than the results indicated.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that Thai teams are far better than any in this competition. I have watched every team and we are the best,'' the angry Narong added.

In the last Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand won both the men's and women's gold medals in the circle event. The Thai coach is now worried about the judging in today's final.

He said he would ask the jury for non-South Korean referees in the final.

"We fear nothing if it is a fair play. Things like this can intimidate my players, who have been working hard for a year to come here,'' he complained.

Thailand expected to win five gold medals from the sepak takraw competition which offers six gold medals in total. The first Thai gold medal at the Games is expected from today's circle sepak takraw final.

Utusan Express - 01 Oct 2002 -Malaysia can't beat us using same players, says Thai manager

The Malaysian sepak takraw team will continue to play second fiddle to Thailand if they go on relying on "old" players in international competitions, says Thai team manager Niphon Siriarporntham.

Niphon said Thailand does not depend on players who fail to live up to expectations, especially for major tournaments.

"We do have some advantage. We have many back-up players while Malaysia are still using the same players. Suhaimi (Yusof) played in the 1994 (Asia) Games and he is still in the Malaysia team.

"We always change our players. We have nine new players in the team compared to the 2001 SEA Games squad for the team and inter-regu events," he said when met at the Dongseo Minseok University Sports Centre, venue for the sepak raga bulatan (circle) and sepak takraw, here today.

The last time Malaysia won a gold medal in the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994 when they took the team title.

Since then, the Thais have dominated the sport whether in SEA Games competitions or other major international tournaments.

Niphon, who is also in charge for the Thais women's team, said Thailand are good enough to win at least two of the six gold medals at stake in the sepak takraw competition.

"Our target is to win two gold medals from men's events. I can't say anything about our chances in the women's category," he said.

Niphon, however, said Malaysia and Myanmar could pose a problem if his players took them lightly.

"Based on the results in the recent World Championship in Singapore, it is 50-50 chance for both the Thais and the Malaysian team. We also can't write off Myanmar," he said.

Malaysia's coach Suaid Osman said he hoped his players would show strong fighting spirit to achieve Malaysia's two-gold target in sepak takraw.

"It's now up to the players. They are the ones who will decide whether we win gold, silver or nothing.

In the team event, Malaysia are drawn in Group B along with Brunei and Myanmar, while Thailand are in Group A together with South Korea and Singapore.

Utusan Express - 01 Oct 2002 -Malaysia fail to defend its bronze medal in Sepak Raga Bulatan

Malaysia lost their medal hopes in the Sepak Raga Bulatan (Circle) event after they failed to reach the semifinals at the Dongseo Minseok University Sports Centre, here today.

The national squad, trained by Suaid Osman, only collected 3,519 points. Myanmar and Japan qualified for the semis after clinching 4,940 and 3,800 points respectively.

Thailand and South Korea booked a place in the semifinals after grabbing first and second place in Group A. The Thais and Koreans collected 5,021 and 4,941 points respectively.

The Malaysian team led by Mohammad Zulkarnain Mohamed Arif, Suhaimi Yusof, Mohd Azman Nasaruddin, Mahadi Said, Ghazali Abdul Ghani and Suhaimi Mat Salim was bottom in Group B, after Japan and Myanmar.

Earlier, the squad faced difficulties when they were disqualified from the Bulatan competition after the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia failed to register the team in August when registration was closed.

Following the intervention of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Malaysia were allowed to compete in the event.

In 1998 Asian Games the national Bulatan squad won a bronze.

The Star - 30 Sep 2002 -Malaysia back in the fray

MALAYSIA have made a successful appeal for reinstatement in the sepak takraw bulatan competition. 

This follows a snooker case a day earlier where the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) upheld an appeal by India to register their players again after having left out some of their athletes� names. 

The Malaysians team for the bulatan competition was disqualified on Saturday at the team managers� meeting for not having made an entry for the event in the entry form. 

On learning about India�s case yesterday morning, the Olympic Council of Malaysia�s (OCM) vice-president, W.Y. Chin, quickly submitted an appeal it to the OCA sports committee. The appeal was upheld two hours later. 

Malaysia�s deputy chef-de-mission Zolkples Embong said that they were happy that the matter had been resolved for the team comprising Razali Ghani, Mahadi Said, Mohamed Azman, Mohamed Zulkarnian, Suhaimi Yusof and Suhaimi Mat Salim to see action. 

Zolkples added that the matter over the blunder in entry would be investigated. 

�The OCM should seek an explanation from the sepak takraw association. It is embarrassing to make such a mistake.  

�I hope all the associations will learn from this and not take any thing for granted,� he said at the Games Village. 

The two-day bulatan competition gets underway today at the Dongseu University.  

The team event will start on Wednesday and the inter regu competition begins on Oct 6. 

There are six gold medals at stake but the Malaysian interest is only in the men�s competitions. 

Thailand are the team to beat and team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said: �We have not beaten them in the last four years but we came close to winning in the last tournament against them in Singapore two months ago.� 

Tengku Adnan refused to comment over the blunder in entry of the bultan team, saying that he only knew about the matter when the team arrived in Busan. 

The Star - 30 Sep 2002  -Takraw boys disqualified after a mistake in entry form

THE sepaktakraw team have been disqualified from taking part in the bulatan (circle) event. The association had failed to enter a team for the event when they sent in their entry forms. 

The team found out about the mistake when they arrived in Busan three days ago but their appeal at the team managers� meeting yesterday fell on hostile ears. 

The managers stood firm in not allowing the Malaysians to take part in the event. Thailand and Singapore, their rivals in the event, were the most vocal in rejecting the appeal. 

The mistake has cost Malaysia a certain medal. In the last Games in Bangkok, they won the bronze.  

Then, the team comprised Mustafa Kamal, Zahar ismail, Ghazali Ghani, Burhanuddin Asinan, Noor Hisham and Mahadi Said. 

Mahadi Said and Ghazali Ghani are still in team along with Suhaimi Yusof, Mohamed Zulkarnian, Mohamed Azman. Suhaimi Salim was the reserve. 

Deputy chef-de-mission Zolkiples Embong said the question now was whether the send the players home and keep only those who will only be involved in the individual and team regu competitions. 

�Initially the team had only 12 players but two more were at the request of the association. 

�This mistake is due to the carelessness of the association officials. So much money has been spent now some of them have no event here,� he said. 

Zolkiples said that besides the issue of money, the disqualification also meant Malaysia had lost a medal.  

�We have to look into the matter and see where the mistake happened. This is something we cannot afford,� he said. 

The bulatan will be held on Monday and Tuesday while the team event will start on Wednesday. After that, the regu will be played over two days. 

The Malaysian secretariat will hold a meeting to decide their next course of action.  

The sepak takraw team management were not available for comment. 

Zolkeples, however, said it was not the team�s mistake. 

�They only found out when they arrived here on Wednesday. They tried hard to get the team registered. But in a situation like this, our opponents are not likely to give way.�  

The Star - 26 Sep 2002 -Sepaktakraw boys pledge to regain gold lost in 1994

The national sepak takraw team left for Busan yesterday with a heavy task to end Thailand�s eight-year superiority in the sport. 

The Thais have ruled since the Games in Hiroshima in 1994 and Malaysian team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin said that the players had vowed to regain the crown. 

�We lost our supremacy but we have tried hard to regain it. We have narrowed the gap and I believe the first sign of a crack in the Thai domination will show in Busan. We used to lose to them easily but not anymore,�� said a confident Tengku Adnan. 

At the last Asiad in Bangkok in 1998, Malaysia won two silvers from the inter-regu and the team event and took bronze in the �bulatan� competition. 

Tengku Adnan said that his boys would be out to spring a surprise on the Thais, especially in the inter-regu events. 

�We hope to return with at least a gold medal this time,�� said Tengku Adnan. 

The Thais rode high since they came out with the �kuda� service, which the Malaysian players found hard to counter. 

But Tengku Adnan said that the Thais can no longer rely on the service alone to win matches as evident in the World Cup inter-regu championships in Singapore last month. 

The Malaysian regu matched the Thais and only went down by a whisker at 19-21, 21-23. 

�The Thais are known for their variation in the service. They are also good with the drop shots but our players have managed to keep up with them in recent competitions. We are on our way back to regain our status as number one,�� said Tengku Adnan. 

Malaysia have a young team for the Asiad.  

They comprise Suhaimi Yusof, Ahmad Ezzat Zaki, Ghazali Ghani, Mahadi Said, Azman Nasiruddin, Aznan Raslan, Fauzi Ghazali, Haniff Azman, Zulkarnain Ariff, Noor Ariffin Pawanteh, Rukman Mustapha, Suhaimi Mat Salim, Zabidi Sharif and Firdaus Abdul Ghani. 

The Star - 20 Sep 2002 -Sepak takraw team hoping to regain respect by bagging gold

THEIR image has been battered and they have, in the last few years, been forced to play second fiddle to Thailand in a sport which Malaysia founded. The sepaktakraw team, however, are not throwing in the towel. 

The Busan Asian Games is where they want to regain some measure of respect. And they want a medal. Not just any medal. They want gold. 

But it�s easier said than done. The last time Malaysia won a gold medal in the Asian Games was in 1994 at the Hiroshima Games when they took the team title. 

Since then, the Thais have dominated but team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin felt they had narrowed the game on the Thais. 

RARING FOR ACTION...The Sepaktakraw players are eager to regain some measure respect by bagging the gold medal at the Busan Games.

�Admittedly, we are not in their (Thais�) class yet. We do not have back-up players while the Thais keep churning them out. They are also coming up with new tactics and techniques. So it is left to us to catch up. But I feel we are good enough for at least one of the three golds at stake in the men�s category,�� he said. The inter-regu, the team and the speak bulatan golds are on offer. 

Tengku Adnan has reason to feel optimistic. 

Last year, the Thais walked away with the team and regu title at the SEA Games and then beat the Malaysians easily in the King�s Cup. 

The Malaysians even faced the humiliation of having to play for the bronze medal after losing to Myanmar in the inter-regu event. 

But at the recent world championships in Singapore, the Malaysians lost only narrowly to the Thais in the regu. This has raised hopes. 

�The Singapore outing was good for us in many ways. The close result has also showed our players that they need not feel inferior to the Thais,� said Tengku Adnan, who warned that they must not be too obsessed with the Thais and forget teams like Myanmar, Vietnam and Singapore who could also threaten. 

�We should not take the other teams for granted. We have to stay focused on what we want to do and take it one game at a time.� 

Tengku Adnan is also emphasising discipline � and for several reason. The Thais can disrupt their opponents� concentration and it is important to be disciplined on court. 

Off court, sepaktakraw has for some time now been marred by unwanted scandals like players on drugs and complaints on bias in the team. 

Tengku Adnan has drawn up a 14-point code of ethics for the players to follow. The players have been told not to speak about team policy and strategies. 

Takraw is a game born in Malaysia. 

And to have supremacy usurped by others is painful. 

The Asian Games would be a good time for Malaysians to take back their sport.

The Star - 17 Sep 2002 -We can end Thai dominance in takraw, says coach

Thailand�s dominance in sepaktakraw could come to an end soon. At least, national coach Ismail Ahmad believes so. 

The coach said it was evident that the Thais are finding it more and more difficult to play against Malaysia, based on the World Cup inter-regu championships held in Singapore last month. The Thais managed to win, but only by a whisker. 

�The Thais will not enjoy total dominance at the Asian Games. Our boys are beginning to move up and should soon be on par with the Thais,�� said Ismail, who is counting on his boys to provide a stiff resistance to the Thais, who are the favourites to sweep all three gold medals at the Asian Games in Busan. 

Team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanudin also shared the view and said the Malaysian players had narrowed the gap with the Thais and should continue to try to bring back the glory days when they last won the gold at the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994. 

�I think the World Cup inter-regu championships in Singapore gave the Thais a scare. They thought they could run us down but were given a run for the money. They had come with high hopes but ended up beating us by just a narrow margin,�� said Tengku Adnan, who expects the Malaysian players to pull off an upset win over the Thais in the Asian Games. 

A total of seven countries took part in the World Cup in Singapore. Besides Malaysia and Thailand, the other competing countries were hosts Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and Sri Lanka. In the final, the fancied Thai regu could only manage a narrow 21-19, 23-21 win over Malaysia. 

Ismail said the national team would also be prepared for the new tactical strategies, which the Thais would be employing in the Asian Games. In the previous Asiad, they had come prepared with the kuda service. 

�We are aware of their kuda service but that is outdated and we are prepared for that. The results are obvious in the World Cup and our boys are not afraid and are able to counter the Thais with their own medicine. 

�I believe they will be coming with the drop shots this time,�� said Tengku Adnan. 

Malaysia�s strategy, on the other hand, depend largely on tekong Mohamed Haniff Azman, who is said to be their expert in the kuda service. And they are hoping to just pick up points from the service alone. 

At the last Asiad in Bangkok in 1998, Malaysia managed two silvers from the inter-regu and the team events while the bronze came from the �bulatan� event. 

Malaysia will be sending a young team to Busan led by senior player Suhaimi Yusof while the rest include Ahmad Ezzat Zaki, Ghazali Ghani, Mahadi Said, Azman Nasiruddin, Aznan Raslan, Fauzi Ghazali, Haniff Azman, Zulkarnain Ariff, Noor Ariffin Pawanteh, Rukman Mustapha, Suhaimi Mat Salim and Zabidi Shariff. 

The Star - 17 Sep 2002 -Takraw players take gag order to the extreme

There is a gag order on the Asian Games sepaktakraw players. But the trainees have taken the order to the extreme. Six players actually ran away when approached by newsmen. 

Team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin confirmed yesterday that there was a gag order but, he added, it was only on policy matters and matters related to the NSC or any of the sports authorities. 

�There is nothing to stop them from talking about their training programme or aspirations. I thought that this was clear. It is surprising that they did not talk,� said a bemused Tengku Adnan. 

Sepaktakraw had been hit by a spate of bad publicity and that was why the team management felt the players should not make any unsubstantiated accusations. 

�We felt that it was not right for them to talk about policy matters and that was why we came up with a code of ethics,� he said yesterday after the team checked in for the final phase of training at the NSC sports centre in Bukit Jalil. 

The code of ethics, containing 14 points for the athletes, emphasises discipline.

Istaf News -15 Sep 2002 -BUSAN ASIAN GAMES -SEPAKTAKRAW

Top 10 sepaktakraw playing countries of asia will be competing for the Gold medals in the 14^th Busan Asian Games from 29 September to 14 October however the sepaktakraw matches are scheduled to start on the 30^th September with preliminary rounds of the Men and Women Circle Event between 8 countries.

The Circle Event will last for two days and the finals will be on the 1^st October followed by the Team Event on the next day. 8 Countries will participate with their best national teams, the finals are schedule to be on the 6^th October between 13:00 and 19:00.

All 10 countries will participate in the Regu Event which starts on the 7^th. The last day of the Busan Asian Games sepaktakraw events is on the 9^th October 2002 where the Finals of the Men and Women Regu events take place between 13:00 and 16:30.

All sepaktakraw matches of the 14^th Busan Asian Games will be held at the Dongseo University Minseok Sports Center, Busan, South Korea, the same venue for Wushu.

The Nation- 12 Sep 2002 -Thais aiming to get the jump on rivals

Thailand's sepak takraw squad have set their sights on underlining their supremacy in this year's Asian Games in Busan after producing their best performance ever in the previous Games four years ago in Bangkok when they won five of the six gold medals on offer.

This year the participating teams will battle for gold medals in the men's team, regu, women's team, regu and men's and women's circle categories, to be held from September 30 to October 9 at the Dongseo University Minseok Sports Center.

Included for the first time in the 1994 Asiad in Hiroshima, sepak takraw not only gained rapid recognition, but is also one of Thailand's best gold medal prospects.

The game has also gone through changes from the woven rattan ball in the past to a yellow plastic ball. And at this month's Asiad, there will be the new format of counting points - the rally point rule - which will speed up the game, but it means that a minor mistake can cost the teams a set or match.

Though the Thai side recently won the world championship in Singapore and the fact that they have not lost to arch-rivals Malaysia since the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, long-time national coach Kamol Tunkimhong is not taking anything for granted due to the new format.

"While the new regulations would give the game an exciting air, it has also opened up the floodgates of opportunities for every team, particularly the outsiders, to pull off upsets even though our players are used to the new rule in the Thailand League," he said.

The 12-member men's squad has been training at the Bang Pa Kong Power Plant in Samut Prakarn. Nine players from the squad competed in the previous Asiad in Bangkok, while the rest will make their debuts.

"Actually three new faces - Pornchai Kaokaew, Nutthawut Panomai and Rawat Phabshompoo - have worn the Thai colours in international events before, but it will be their first appearance at an Asian Games. However, competing under pressure in a big event like the Asiad is not going to be easy for them," said Kamol.

"The younger players may have physical fitness but lack experience, and they might suffer from nerves during the competition."

Despite having confidence in his men's team's abilities, he would not take his rivals for granted, particularly in the men's regu event.

Undoubtedly, the closest rival is Malaysia, while Burma is also a tough opponent.

"Although they have lost to us for the past several years since the 1995 SEA Games, they have always had us in trouble every time we meet. Besides, I have learned that Malaysia is now training in Burma.

What makes them even tougher is that they are studying to adapt to the powerful serve," said Kamol, whose team bagged a Bt2 million bonus each after winning two golds in the previous Asiad.

"Burma have stayed quiet so we don't know anything about their recent progress, but if they field the same squad that played in the Asiad four years ago they will be very tough rivals as their dangerous weapon is the lethal serve like us," he added.

The country's women's squad have been training under former national player Chucheep Kongmeechon's supervision in Ratchaburi.

The women's regu team was the lone squad to lose in the previous Asiad, a defeat depriving the Kingdom of a 100 percent win rate.

The 1998 Asiad women's winners Burma, Vietnam and China are Thailand's potential rivals in the Games. The Burmese shocked the Thais in the Asiad in Bangkok when they defeated hosts Thailand in the women's regu to take the gold. They are also expected to be very tough in this year's Asiad.

Vietnam and China have shown improvement every time they play against Thailand. Though they find it difficult to beat the Kingdom, the Thai side should not underestimate them.

Meanwhile, the men's and women's circle squad, who will defend their titles, are expected to have a tough time in South Korea, according to team manager Niphon Siriarporntham.

"I don't think it is going to be very easy for us when we compete outside our home ground. Hosts South Korea will be our potential rival, particularly in the women's competition.

If they [South Korea] do not have any hope, why did they include the event in the Games. In the men's event, Burma will be very dangerous for us," Niphon said.

"There will be referees to count the number of points that the teams score instead of using the machine, so I am afraid of biased judging. The unexpected could happen," he added.

Bernama - 2 Sep 2002 -Nur Hisham Dropped Due To Poor Form, Says Team Manager

Nur Hisham Abdul Ghani's insipid show at the Thai King's Cup tournament last April and during the test matches in Myanmar last month was the reason why the player was missing from the national line-up bound for the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

National sepak takraw team manager Tengku Adnan Tengku Burhanuddin told Bernama this Monday when clarifying speculations that Nur Hisham, who played as left apit in the national squad, was dropped for no reason.

Tengku Adnan said the move to leave out Nur Hisham was a collective decision taken by the national sepak takraw selection committee, who met last Aug 17.

Officials from the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (STAM), National Sports Council (NSC) and national coaches Suaid Othman and Ismail Ahmad are members of the committee.

"This is the reason (poor performance) why Nur Hisham was dropped from the Malaysian squad bound for Busan and the player has been informed about this," he said.

On Sunday, former Kedah team manager Zulkifli Lazim and Langkawi Sepak Takraw Association president Wan Harun Wan Ahmad said there was no reason for the exclusion of Nur Hisham from the national side as he was playing well at the moment.

Tengku Adnan said the committee's decision was final as they had made detailed analysis of every player before announcing the final squad.

"Nur Hisham is not the only player dropped, there are others like promising tekong Mohamed Normanizam Ahmad and they (players) have to accept this decision," said Tengku Adnan.

He said the players dropped would still be considered for other international assignments in the future and urged them to work hard to improve their performance.

Istaf News- 24 Aug 2002 -Sepaktakraw growing slow but persistent in Europe

The Swiss Sepaktakraw Federation had been working hard at promoting sepaktakraw at their part of the globe. Headed by their President Mr. Reto Loeliger, the team had been playing sepaktakraw for five days in last month's Swiss Expo, the biggest cultural event in Switzerland that included different exhibitions, music bars and theaters

They also joined the Expogames where they had a Footbag-Sepaktakraw information booth where they had presented sepaktakraw to many visitors new to the game.

This weekend they will demonstrate sepaktakraw in the Footbag Swiss Championship held in Zurich.

"Footbag is very similar to sepaktakraw, thus I hope we could get new sepaktakraw players during the event", said Mr. Loeliger.

S'pore Straits Times- 13 Aug 2002 -Watch out, here come the Chinese

IN INNER MONGOLIA, where sepak takraw was first played by women in China, the weather can dip below minus 40 deg C during winter.

When it gets that cold, the ball - usually made of rattan - becomes very hard. Kicking and heading it can be extremely painful.

China captain Bai Jie, who led her team to a silver medal at the Inter-Regu World Cup held here over the weekend, pointed to her thinning hair and said: 'See? I lost so much hair.'

The 23-year-old was one of those from a part-time sports school who picked up sepak takraw in 1995.

She recalled those early days, saying: 'We hadn't learnt how to protect ourselves.'

Her team-mate Yu Ying, 21, added: 'Sometimes, the ball was so hard our skin tore and there would be blood on the ball.'

If the training conditions were so harsh, why did they do it?

Physical education teacher Zhou Ronghong, 26, who trained every day to improve her game, said: 'We believed the sport had potential to develop.'

Sepak takraw originated in Malaya, but found its way to China because of the Beijing Asian Games in 1990.

Thanks largely to the lobbying efforts of the Asian Sepak Takraw Federation, host Beijing agreed to let the sport make its Asiad debut - and set about starting its own team.

Coach Zhang Wei, who once played junior soccer in Jiangxi province, was a member of China's first men's team, formed in 1987.

Explaining China's move, he said: 'In accordance with the Olympic ideal, we should include sports which the other countries are good at as well.

'It is not a China Games.'

The team learnt from the experts during training tours to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

But by China's high standards for excellence, it flopped - finishing outside the podium at both the 1990 and 1994 Asiads.

However, the experiment produced a group of players who grew to love the sport and went on to promote it.

Zhang, 32, now works in an Internet company and coaches part-time.

He said: 'We never did make it to the world level, but as one of the first generation of players, I hope to see China make it.'

The women's team was started in 1995. By 1998, it had improved enough to earn a ticket to the Asian Games in Bangkok. It brought home two bronze medals, in the team and inter-regu events.

This year, it is going for gold at the upcoming Asiad in Busan, South Korea. It rates world powerhouse Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar as its toughest opponents.

What is the secret to China's success?

Zhang said it was because the game's pioneers had learnt the basics well.

Its women players, who come mainly from the north-eastern region, were also generally taller and stronger than the average South-east Asian.

So China's Asiad prospects look bright. According to Bai, the team should have won the title on its 1998 Asiad debut.

'We blew it,' she said. 'This time, we want to finish the job we started back then.'

But the sport is still little known in China.

Zhang estimates that there are just over 1,000 players, coaches and officials involved in sepak takraw. Only the officials are full-timers.

'Most peo