Let's train 'em young

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, September 6, 2010

(Top) National badminton player Jasper Yu. (Above) Ak Abdul Halim Al-Hakim Pg Hj Ismail is another national player to have trained in Jakarta. Pictures: BT

One of Brunei's top badminton players believes the country should look into nurturing talent at a younger age.

Jasper Yu Woon Chai, 21, has been training at Tangkas Badminton Club in Jakarta with fellow national team player Ak Abdul Halim Al-Hakim Pg Hj Ismail, 18, for the past few months and the pair has been in for a real eye-opener at the Indonesian capital.

Players at Tangkas are divided into three age groups; 11-14 years old, 15-17 years old, and 17-and-above. Finding it hard to match their competitors at first, Yu felt it was because the Indonesians had taken up the sport at a younger age.

"They have been playing since they were six or seven and they have sacrificed their studies," said Yu in a recent interview with The Brunei Times.

"Put it this way; their future is badminton if they don't succeed they are goners.

"Should Brunei encourage such young players? Why not?

"But the resources and system need to be there. We need good coaches and a budget," stressed Yu, who has been playing badminton for the past 10 years and has been a member of the national team for five.

As a pair, Yu and Ak Abd Halim have reached the third round of the Yonex Brunei Open in January. Their Malaysia Games (Sukma) campaign in Melaka in June ended in the first round.

They won the doubles title during the Youth Sports Festival (PSR) last June and were champions of the same category during last year's Badminton Tournament in conjunction with His Majesty's 63rd birthday celebrations.

Yu helped Brunei to a bronze medal in the men's team event at last December's 3rd Borneo Games and also finished the PSR with gold in the men's singles and team event.

Perfecting their game at the Jakarta club which has produced Men's World No 3 Simon Santoso, mixed doubles' World No 3 Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir as well as Malaysia's mens doubles coach Rexy Mainaky, Yu and Ak Abd Halim are hoping to one day make a name for themselves in the international arena.

Fully sponsored by Athirah Badminton Club, one of the most successful clubs in the Sultanate, Ak Abdul Halim has been at Tangkas and off for eight months and Yu for three. They plan to return to Jakarta after Raya.

There is no denying that the coaching at Tangkas where the roughly 100 students are trained by two singles and one doubles coach also plays an important part in the young athletes' growth.

No surprise then that Yu should stress that the quality of coaches would be the key to ensure that Brunei can develop players at a younger age.

"I think Bruneian players are quite talented as well, but there is a lack of proper channelling," said Yu.

"I think proper guidance of talent (is needed).

"If the players have good guidance I think they can succeed," he added.

Though Brunei does not have a systematic approach to developing players at clubs and has been without a national coach since Wu Xue Kai left last December after 15 years at the helm, players can rely on assistant national coach Fadzli Hj Masri and Department of Youth and Sports badminton scheme trainer Wahab Moksin for guidance.

The Brunei Times

Smashing Brunei onto the world stage

Jason Thomas

The Brunei Times
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 4, 2010

MAKE no mistake about it, Brunei's hopes of enjoying any recognition in the international badminton arena lie squarely on the shoulders of two players who have been training in Indonesia for months.

Rarely does the Sultanate have budding local professionals who sacrifice so willingly for their sport, but Ak Abdul Halim Al-Hakim Pg Hj Ismail and Jasper Yu Woon Chai are perfect examples of such athletes.

Having decided that badminton is their calling, the two national players have been putting in eight-hour intensive training shifts at the Tangkas Badminton Club in Jakarta with the hopes of breaking into the world scene.

Fully sponsored by Athirah Badminton Club, one of the most successful clubs in the Sultanate, Ak Abdul Halim has been in the Indonesian capital on and off for eight months and Yu for three.

"We want to put Brunei on the badminton map ... We want to make Brunei proud," they told The Brunei Times on Wednesday.

"Our aim is to represent Brunei at the world stage and be the first professionals.

"We are the only two badminton players training abroad but the problem now is we need more exposure," said the pair.

Perfecting their skills at the club which produced Men's World No 3 Simon Santoso, mixed doubles' World No 3 Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir as well as Malaysia's mens doubles coach Rexy Mainaky, their training schedule at Tangkis means they are submersed into the world of badminton 24-7.

From 9am to 1pm they have court sessions where they work on skills and spar with other players. Weight training and drills for strokes, shuttle runs and footwork are also common, and during 5pm to 8pm they play more matches and 2v1 or 3v1 matchups.

"We only train half the day on Saturday. We are free on Sunday but we go to the club and practice anyway," they said.

Such dedication is not uncommon in Indonesia, where badminton is seen as a path to a bright future in a country which has produced more than its fair share of world-class players.

Some of Indonesia's best players like world and Olympic champions Hendrawan, Icuk Sugiarto, Joko Suprianto and Verawaty Fajrin have all trained at Tangkas, giving Ak Abdul Halim and Yu belief that they can follow in their footsteps.

They aren't the first Bruneians at the club though, with two-time national champion Zulkifli Mohd Salleh also honing his skills at Tangkas in the millenium era.

Training under two singles and one doubles coach, there are around 100 players divided into three age groups at Tangkas; 11-14 years old, 15-17 years old, and 17-and-above.

Ak Abdul Halim said that when he first got to Tangkas, last October, he found it hard to adjust to the speed and power of his competitors but perseverance and a lot of hard work have helped him pull through.

"I was losing to 16 to 17-year-old players by 15 points but I slowly got better and closed the gap," he said.

"I trained hard so I could balance myself out and after two months I could give them a fight. Now it is more balanced and I play with 18 to 19-year-olds," he added.

Ak Abdul Halim went on to say that he will give himself until 2013 to breakthrough while Yu is only going to focus on the sport until the end of the year, when he will then continue his studies at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Staying together in Indonesia, they have been able to build on the ties they forged after playing on the same side of the court for years.

Ex-national coach Wu Xue Kai paired the two players for the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games which Brunei hosted in December 2008, and they have been playing together ever since.

They reached the third round of the Yonex Brunei Open in January and also competed in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Melaka in June as well as the Borneo Games which Brunei hosted last December.

At Tangkas though, it's each man to himself and they don't train for doubles surprisingly.

"We've definitely tasted more success in doubles than in singles but at the moment we think we're still young and we should be out challenging in those categories," said Yu.

"We're not focusing solely on singles or doubles, we're dividing our attention evenly in both categories. We only train singles in Tangkas because we think that a good singles player can definitely play good doubles but a good doubles player is not necessarily a good singles player, mainly due to court coverage ability.

"Training singles enable us to have the ability to cover the full court easier, but of course, there are differences in terms of technique in singles and doubles. But we're fine with it (and) we understand each other very well on and off court, so we think we can overcome (not training for doubles)," added Yu, who admires Men's world No 1 Lee Chong Wei because of his footwork and style of play.

Is it a race between the two to see who can reach the international stage first?

"It's definitely competitive between us but we still maintain a close brotherhood," grinned Yu.

"I think he's very talented and by the time he's my age he'll be awesome! I think he is better than I was when I was his age," he added.

The bond between the two was obvious throughout the interview, and though they only had good things to say about each other, there was one question that had to be asked; who would come out on top if they faced each other?

"It would be 50/50," they agree. "I would win half and he would win half," said Yu, almost too diplomatically.

But training day and night does not make a champion, and the pair know that only by competing regularly can they make it to the big time.

Ak Abdul Halim has played in two events in Indonesia's Sirkuit Nasional (National Circuit) and the results have been encouraging.

He failed to progress past the first round (round of 64) of the singles competition in an event in Pekanbaru in April but advanced to the second round (round of 16) in the doubles category.

A month later in May he advanced past the first round of the singles competition in a tournament in Bandung.

"I can see the improvement," said Ak Abd Halim.

"I hope I can take part in more tournaments and elevate my standing as I progress. I reached the first round, then second, so now it has to be third," added Ak Abdul Halim, who is a fan of Men's World No 2 Lin Dan's power and speed.

Both Ak Abdul Halim and Yu competed at an International Challenge event in Surabaya in July but fell at the first hurdle of the three-star Badminton World Federation (BWF) competition.

Ak Abdul Halim lost to Indonesian Aldi Gilang in straight sets, though it was a close fight. Yu couldn't have asked for a worse draw if he tried, meeting Indonesian No 1 junior Riyanto Subagja in the first round where his campaign ended with a 21-14, 21-4 defeat.

One-star (Future Series), two-star (International Series) and three-star (International Challenge) events allow amateur players gain experience and world ranking points before going on to challenge the big guns in the four-star (Grand Prix), five-star (Grand Prix Gold) and six-star (Super Series) events.

The Future Series, International Series and International Challenge are less strict in terms of draws and qualification, and the duo said they can probably get into the reserve list of Grand Prix tournaments.

"Right now we do have ranking points," explained Yu, "but we don't know how much because we haven't been playing BWF circuits on a regular basis so BWF won't take note of that."

"Surabaya was only Ak Abdul Halim's first BWF tournament and only when we compete in world tours regularly will BWF take us seriously," he added.

The pair will be going back to Tangkas after Hari Raya and the focus will be firmly on securing better results in BWF tournaments.

"The aim? To continue to play as good as we can until we get noticed," agreed the winners of last June's Youth Sports Festival doubles title. "We are not just looking at being noticed by coaches but also by sponsors.

"I'm not sure if there are any scouts in badminton because I've never heard of it. You get recognised in badminton by doing well in tournaments and achieving good results. When you do well, people talk about you.

"We have to make a name for ourselves."

Watch Out! Next Tournament : PGGMB Open

Source thanks to Shaynia Pink:


The next tournament in Brunei will be the PGGMB Open.

The tournament will begin starting from 26th September on every Friday and Sunday.

Registration forms are available from PGGMB or Spotech. Closing date for register entry is on 18th September.

The draw of the tournament will be released on 20th September.

The category organised are as follows,

1. Beregu Lelaki Remaja 21 tahun kebawah.

2. Beregu Perempuan Remaja 21 tahun kebawah. (lahir thn 1989 keatas).

(Pemain Kebangsaan Brunei tidak dibenarkan menyertai.)


3. Beregu Lelaki Dewasa

4. beregu perempuan dewasa

5. Beregu Veteran Lelaki umur tidak kurang 55 thn

6. Beregu Veteran Perempuan umur tidak kurang 45 thn


Syarat penyertaan 3 hingga 6. Terbuka kepada smua guru-guru di:

Kementerian pendidikan, Kementrian Hal Ehwal Ugama, Institusi Pengajian Tinggi, Sekolah-Sekolah swasta (yangg berdaftar dengan Bahagian Pendidikan Swasta) sama ada yg masih berkhidmat, bertukar jawatan or bersara.

Sukma team to be announced this week

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Brunei Times

(Top) The Sultanate's top swimmer Amanda Liew Jia Xin in action. (Above Right) Jasper Yu Woon Chai is honing his skills in Indonesia. (Above Left) Brunei's most promising player Mohd Aiman Abdullah.

AFTER all the centralised training and preparations, on Friday, May 28, the athletes will finally know who have made the cut for Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) 13 in Melaka.

The Department of Youth and Sports (JBS) will finally reveal all the details which have piqued the nation's interests, before the athletes are scheduled to compete in the Games from June 10-19.

Will there be cuts made from the squad that on last count numbered 69? Are we still going to bank on the lucky 13 sports - athletics, aquatics, badminton, bowling, cycling, fencing, karate, petanque, sepak takraw, silat, squash, tennis and wushu - for medals?

Only the results from the athletes' final fitness test will tell and at this point, one could only speculate on who will make it.

Could the debut of lone petanque warrior, Abdul Wafi Awg Abd Hamid, be under jeopardy? The 22-year-old is on the verge of creating history as the first petanque player to represent the sultanate in Sukma.

Under the guidance of national coach, Somsak Juychunprasert, Abdul Wafi had already challenged for honours abroad five times.

His recent international exposure was in March, when he competed alongside teammates Mazlan Hj Yahya and Pg Hj Asmalina Pg Hj Jaya in the 2010 Pan Pacific Singapore Championship and placed third.

But this time, Abdul Wafi will have to go about it alone, gunning for the single and shooting events.

Another athlete going solo is Mohd Aiman Abdullah, the country's most promising junior tennis player. It will not be his first time at the Games, reaching the second round of the men's singles during the 2008 Sukma in Terengganu.

Last year he collected the silver in the men's open singles and bronze in the doubles during last May's Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia. He ended the year with a silver medal in the men's open singles during the 3rd Borneo Games which Brunei hosted last December.

Amanda Liew Jia Xin, the Sultanate's most prolific swimmer,will undoubtedly be picked for she was the only one to meet the benchmark set by JBS.

To be selected for the national team, all swimmers are required to better the "bronze" time of the previous edition of the Games. She will compete in the 50 metres breaststroke where her personal best is 36.06 seconds and 50m freestyle where her best time is 28.64s.

Liew will be joined by the duo of Mohd Naim Mohd Shafiee and Abd Afiq Hj Ali, who are set to compete in the 1m springboard event.

What about the young shuttlers who are currently sharpening up their skills in neighbouring Indonesia, Jasper Yu Woon Chai and Ak Halim Pg Ismail?

Last Monday Yu left for Jakarta, joining compatriot Ak Halim who had been there since December, for a training stint with the Tangkas Badminton Club. The club is well known for producing world and Olympic champions like Icuk Sugiarto, Hermawan Susanto, Joko Suprianto, Luis Ponggoh, Verawaty Fajrin, Rexy Mainaky and Lilyana Natsir.

Yu recently took part in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup, which concluded on May 8.

The most promising national shuttler claimed a double in the tournament, smashing his way to both the Open Singles Under-23 and Men's Doubles A titles.

Yu and Ak Halim could be joined by Ihsan Zainuddin, Md Syahmil Fajrin Wahab and Md Sheril Shahizwan, who also competed in the tournament.

The trio are coached by JBS badminton coach, Wahab Moksin.

Jaspar's move to Jakarta a good idea: coach Wahab

Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Brunei Times

National shuttler Jasper Yu Woon Chai left Monday for Indonesia to train at the Tangkas Badminton Club.

BADMINTON coach of the Department of Youth and Sports (JBS), Wahab Moksin approves national shuttler Jasper Yu Woon Chai's decision to train in Jakarta.

But the coach is also wary that Yu's move to the Indonesian capital will have an effect on the team's preparation for Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) at Melaka in June.

"Since it's so close to Sukma, about three weeks, I doubt that it will help but nonetheless it is a good idea," said the coach.

Yu left for Jakarta on Monday for a training stint with the Tangkas Badminton Club, which produced world and Olympic champions like Icuk Sugiarto, Hermawan Susanto, Joko Suprianto, Luis Ponggoh, Verawaty Fajrin, Rexy Mainaky and Lilyana Natsir.

"Even I, as the coach, would encourage my charges to take the opportunity when presented but it's all about the timing and I would rather have them train together as a whole," said Wahab.

Aside from Jaspar, also carrying the flag for Brunei in the Sukma Games are Ak Halim Pg Ismail, Ihsan Zainuddin, Md Syahmil Fajrin Wahab and Md Sheril Shahizwan.

Ak Halim is also undergoing intentive trainingwith Tangkas since December last year according to Wahab.

"I'm just worried because they have a different training scheme. It might take time to get used to the new training schedule unlike here, which they are used to that's fixed and ready," said the coach.

If not for Sukma however, Yu has the coach's full support.

"It's good for him as even we (JBS) plan to send talented players for training abroad. Indonesia is a good place to train since it is one of the best countries for the sport, with better and more sparring partners.

"Rather then sending our players to countries like Europe or Japan, we could just opt for Indonesia since it is also closer," said Wahab.

The coach also shared the team's preparations for Sukma.

"So far it's been good since the team are right on track with the trainings such as speed, conditioning and agility. For now, we're more focused on match-game training though," he said.

"They're definitely ready psychologically. It won't be the first time they have fought players of calibre," replied Wahab, when asked whether the young shuttlers are mentally ready to represent Brunei at an international level.

Taking into consideration the team's training which has been going on December, the coach believes his charges can fight for a podium finish.

"I think that we can get the medal but it still depends on the situation. Unlike other sports such as atheletics, badminton is not a sport that can be measured. Anything on the court can determine whether it's a win or lose.

"Moreso Malaysia is also famous when it comes to badminton, on par with Indonesia. Yet we're not going to let it get to us, we'll try our hardest to be able to win a medal," said Wahab.

National shuttler 'moves' to Jakarta

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Brunei Times

National shuttler Jasper Yu Woon Chai will train with Indonesian club, the Tangkas Badminton Club, in Jakarta.

NATIONAL shuttler Jasper Yu Woon Chai wants to learn from the best in the business and yesterday left for Jakarta for a training stint.

Although Indonesia lost to China in the final of the Thomas Cup on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital, Jakarta, is considered a nursery for budding badminton players.

The 21-year-old Bruneian will be training with the Tangkas Badminton Club, which is run by the Suhandinata family, namely Suharso Suhandinata.

Suharso played a key role in the unification of the then split International Badminton Federation and World Badminton Federation in the 1980s.

The unification was a significant step towards badminton's inclusion in the Olympic Games.

"Tangkas is one of the best badminton clubs. The club boasts of names like Rexy Mainaky and Lilyana Natsir," said Yu.

Rexy is a former men's doubles world champion from Indonesia. He won the men's doubles Olympic gold medal in 1996 with partner Ricky Subagja.

Currently Rexy is the men's doubles coach of Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Lilyana has represented the Indonesian women's team and specialises in doubles.

Accolades she has won include mixed doubles at the Asian Championships and four World Grand Prix titles in 2006.

Other figures that the club has produced include world and Olympic champions like Icuk Sugiarto, Hermawan Susanto, Joko Suprianto, Luis Ponggoh and Verawaty Fajrin.

"I'm going to train with the club for three months. I'm aiming to improve my technique and physical fitness," said the national player before departing at the Brunei International Airport in Berakas yesterday.

"Badminton has always been my passion and because of the strong support from my family and club I am always aiming to do better. I also want to help raise the standard of the sport in Brunei," Yu added.

He is accompanied by compatriot Ak Halim Pg Ismail, who has already been there for at least 10 months.

"Most probably we will go straight from Jakarta to Melaka for the Sukma (Malaysia) Games in June," Yu added.

Yet to be confirmed, Yu mentioned that most probably he would be competing in both the singles and doubles events.

He recently took part in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup, which concluded on May 8.

The most promising national shuttler claimed a double in the tournament, smashing his way to both the Open Singles Under-23 and Men's Doubles A titles.

Badminton Tourney Winners

9th & 10th May
Borneo Bulletin

Bandar Seri Begawan - HRH Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah partnering Azeez Pehin Dato Hj Jaafar lost 2-1 (21-23, 21-15, 19-21) to the duo of Zulkifli and Siti Marinah in the final of the Open Mixed Doubles category of the Pengiran lndera Mahkota Pengiran Anak Dr Kamaludin Al-Haj's Cup at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex Multi-purpose Hall in Berakas last night. Photo shows HRH Princess Fadzilah and Azeez in action last night.

Dodi Setiawan and Jasper Yu emerged victorious in the final of the Open Double `A' category of Pengiran Indera Mahkota Pengiran Anak Dr Kamaludin Al-Haj's Cup Badminton Championship when they thrashed Heru Pamungkas and Syamil Fazrin Wahab 16-21, 21-13, 21-19 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex Multipurpose Hall in Berakas over the weekend.

In the Open Double 'B' category, Zainul Md Yusof and Hairuddin Md Yusof snatched the winning trophy after beating Ismail and Amir in straight sets of 21-17, 21-11. Meanwhile, Mohamad Osman and Dalen Foo took home the champion trophy after demolishing Burhan and Suhaili Hj Maj id in the Open Double Veteran category winning 25-27, 21-18, 26-24.

Brunei national player, Jasper Yu easily beat Syamil Fazrin in straight sets 21-14, 24-22 to win the Open Singles category. The guest-of-honour Hj Mohamad Panglima Asgar Dato Paduka Hj Abdullah, the Director of Youth and Sports gave away the prizes to the winners

National shuttler Yu made to work for title

9th May 2010
The Brunei Times

Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah and partner Aziz PD Hj Jaafar in action in the Open Mixed Doubles final yesterday.

JASPER Yu Woon Chai powered his way to the Open Singles Under-23 title in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup after beating Syamil Fazrin Wahab 21-14, 24-22 last night.

The spellbinding game at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex saw national shuttler Yu in the driving seat for most of the first set but was given a run for his money in the second.

"I made a lot of mistakes, probably because I was nervous ... Too eager to win," said Yu.

"I was lucky he (Syamil) misjudged the last shot to hand me the win. I came in as the No 1 seed and so I always wanted to win.

"My ex-coach (Wu Xue Kai) came today (Saturday) especially for this and that gave me a good boost since I had not seen him in a long time," said the 21-year-old Yu, who also thanked his club Athirah Badminton Club for all their support.

In the Open Mixed Doubles, Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah and partner Aziz PD Hj Jaafar's run to the title was stopped by Siti Marinah Mohd Salleh and Zulkifli Mohd Salleh, who won the final 23-21, 15-21, 21-19.

Though they lost the first set, they came back charging in the second and forced Siti Marinah and Zulkifli into numerous errors.

Meanwhile, in the Veterans' Doubles, Mohamad Osman and Dalen Foo triumphed 25-27, 21-18, 26-24 against the pairing of Burhan and Suhilee Hj Majid.

Zainul Mohd Yusof and Hairuddin Mohd Yusof beat Amir Hj Tudin and Ismail Hj Abdul Rahman 21-17, 21-11 to win the Open Doubles B (Intermediate) category.

Yusof brothers inch closer to doubles title

7th May 2010
The Brunei Times

BROTHERS Zainul and Hairuddin Md Yusof yesterday moved one step closer to reaching their target in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup.

Favourites in the men's doubles (Category B), the siblings triumphed 21-16, 21-18 over Rahim and Ali Darwin to advance to the semi-finals.

"We're setting our target high for this tournament, so we're definitely gunning for the top spot," said the younger of the two, Zainul.

He has been training on his own since the age of 15 and is competing in the tournament for experience.

The siblings also competed at the Yonex Open in January, but did not play together in the tournament and were ousted in the early stages of their respective events.

The 19-year-old Zainul credits the chemistry with his brother for reaching the semi-finals of this tournament.

"The understanding we have of each other's playing style is one factor that has led us to this stage," said Zainul.

It was not an easy battle though, the siblings were caught off guard at various times in yesterday's match.

In the second set, they were left trailing 8-1 but rallied back to level the scores before clinching the set 21-18.

The tough part is yet to be over though and Zainul admits tougher opponents await them on the way to the title.

"Ismail and Amir probably pose the biggest threats for us," he told The Brunei Times yesterday.

In the final is probably when the fated meeting will occur.

The siblings, however, will first need to overcome the duo of Md Hashim Abdullah and Abd Hannan Hj Zulkiflee.

Md Hashim and Abd Hannan were forced to play in the rubber set after losing the first set. The pair ousted Shahrul and Nuruddin with the score of 9-21, 21-19, 21-12.

Ismail and Amir, on the other hand, will meet the other favourites of the event in the semi-finals, the duo of Burhan and Eko.

Powering over Zaini and Md Hassandin 21-10, 21-15 yesterday, Ismail and Amir have set a date with the pair for tonight's last four match.

Burhan and Eko secured their berth in the semi-finals by beating Ali Hussin and Suhif 21-10, 21-15.

All the respective semi-finals will be contested today starting at 7pm.

Sukma: Lucky 13 for Brunei?

7th May 2010
The Brunei Times


THIRTEEN may be an unlucky number to many but Brunei is banking on it to win medals at the Malaysia Games with the Sultanate confirming that it will compete in 13 sports at the June 10-19 tournament.

Hj Md Rosfazilah Hj Yusly, the Chief Secretariat of the Brunei contingent, yesterday revealed to The Brunei Times the 13 sports Brunei would be competing in.

"I can confirm the 13 sports that Brunei will be participating in at Sukma are bowling, silat, sepak takraw, fencing, petanque, karate, tennis, squash, athletics, cycling, badminton, wushu and aquatics," Hj Md Rosfadzilah said when contacted.

However, the Sultanate has yet to decide the number of athletes to be registered for each sport.

On Monday, Pg Sabri Pg Hj Mohamad, the Deputy Director of the Youth and Sports Department, announced to the Press that Brunei will be sending 75 athletes to Melaka. Talking on the sidelines of the "Jom Ke Melaka" roadshow held at the Gold Stone Ballroom of the Centrepoint Hotel in Gadong, he added that the Brunei contingent would total 113.

Hopefully the number 13 will not prove to be unlucky for Brunei, but will instead help improve on their dismal performance in the last Games. Made up of 89 athletes and officials, Brunei returned with only two silver medals after competing in nine sports at the 12th edition of Sukma in Terengganu two years ago.

The medals were delivered by karate's Md Nabil Abd Malik and Md Jamil Hj Abd Hamid who won silver in the men's kumite below 70kg category and the men's kumite 80kg and above category respectively.

Brunei is hoping a bigger contingent will translate into a better outing this year.

The Bruneians will be among the 9,000 athletes vying for 434 gold, 434 silver and 542 bronze medals offered at the Games.

The Brunei contingent, however, will have to do that without the services of 2008 silver medallist Md Jamil, who was 22 in 2008. On the other hand, fellow karateka Md Nabil, who was 20 during the Terengganu Games, could still probably make the cut.

National shuttler Md Sheril Shahizwan could also get a ticket to Melaka. Currently competing in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup, Department of Youth and Sports badminton scheme coach Wahab Moksin is using the event as a build-up tournament for the Games.

Wahab has high expectations of his charges and the 17-year-old shuttler is currently meeting them. Md Sheril will be able to impress his coach further if he makes the final at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas today.

Md Sheril will meet national player Jaspar Yu Woon Chai in the semi-finals today.

Silat is another sport where Brunei is expected to shine in Melaka. The national team have been training since December to prepare for the Games. Some 15 exponents were shortlisted in January by Mochamad Nasri, the national junior silat coach.

Aged between 17 and 21, they were selected based on their performances at the Youth Sports Festival (PSR) and the Brunei Darussalam National Silat Championships held last year.

Undoubtedly the return of the national fencers is the most anticipated of all after an absence of six years. In 2004, they finished with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals in Negri Sembilan. Except for one bronze medal in the men's epee team event, all of the other medals in 2004 came from the sabre events.

Their medal haul helped lead the Sultanate to its best performance in Sukma, bagging one gold, five silver and five bronze medals in Negri.

During a meeting on March 20, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports' national selection and evaluation committee agreed to support the participation of seven fencers as requested by the Brunei Darussalam Fencing Federation.

The seven fencers who could be shouldering the responsibility of recreating the 2004 feat are Ak Zaim Pg Idris, Hafizuddin Hj Awg Damit, Hafizzi Illah, Khairul Quddus Mohd Roalee, Muinuddin Hj Masri, Nur Adillah Affendy Agus and Rozana Zeze Mohd Roalee.

The same faces flew the flag for the country during the March 5-14 Asian Fencing Confederation Junior and Cadet in Pasig City, Manila, where they managed to top fencers from 15 Asian countries in the overall rankings.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on Wednesday pledged to submit a bid to host the Sukma in 2014.

"I will hand over the task of bidding for the Sukma in 2014 to Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk Seri William Mawan Ikom," he said after receiving an official invitation for the 13th Sukma from Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Kuching, Sarawak, on Wednesday.

Abdul Taib said Sarawak was ready to host the Sukma for the second time because the Games was significant to the development of sports in the country as it helps to unearth talented young sportsmen and sportswomen.

He added that for the Sukma to hosted by Melaka, Sarawak would be sending 700 athletes and officials to participate in 29 of the 33 sports contested.

Sarawak hosted the third edition of the Sukma in 1990 and wrote a new chapter in its sporting history after becoming the first State to host the Games outside Kuala Lumpur as well as becoming the overall champions for the first time.

Mohd Ali said Melaka would fully support Sarawak's bid due to its ability to host mega events.

Md Sheril advances into semi-finals

6th May 2010
The Brunei Times

MD SHERIL SHAHIZWAN beat Ihsan Zainuddin 21-16, 21-16 to advance into the semi-finals of the Open Singles Under-23 in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex last night.

One of five shortlisted to compete at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Melaka on June 10-19, Md Sheril was satisfied to have reached his target.

"I'm happy to have at least reached the semi-finals. I'm taking one step at a time so hopefully I'll be able to reach the final," said the 17-year-old.

Part of the Department of Youth and Sports badminton scheme, Md Sheril was relieved with the win, "At first I was a bit nervous. Yet as the match progressed, my confidence started to grow and I just went for it. However it was a 50-50 match from the start."

When asked whether he is one of 75 athletes that are going to compete in Melaka for the 13th edition of the Games, he replied, "Actually it depends, but I don't know whether I'm going. I don't know when I'll know either."

However, Md Sheril does know one thing, and that is who presents the biggest threat in the competition. With no hesitation at all, the boy replied, "Jasper Yu (Woon Chai)."

He definitely has a point to be worried. National shuttler Yu overwhelmed Hafizul Kiprawi 21-13, 21-6 last night to also advance into the semi-finals.

The coach of the Department of Youth and Sports badminton scheme, Wahab Moksin, will be happy with one of his charges' performance at least. Earlier before the tournament started, Wahab predicted that his trainees: Ihsan, Sheril, and brothers Faiz and Md Syahmil Fajrin Wahab could make it to the final, maybe even face each other.

However, Sheril's victory last night meant that he is the sole survivor of the four. Faiz was eliminated on Tuesday while his brother was ousted last night. Md Syahmil was stopped in his tracks by Md Fairesyah, who beat him 16-21, 21-11 and 21-12 to claim a spot in the semi-finals.

Another highlight of last night's action was Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah and partner Aziz Pehin Dato Hj Jaafar's 21-14, 19-21, 21-13 triumph in the Open Mixed Doubles.

It was a tightly contested match from the start, HRH and Aziz and opponents Pg Md Hamdilah and Shamin Fai Fai exchanging fiery blows one after another to bring the match into the rubber set.

However as exhaustion set down upon both teams that led to both teams committing its share of mistakes, it was the pair of HRH and partner that prevailed.

All semi-finals will be contested on Friday with the finals for each respective categories slated for Saturday.

75 Brunei athletes for Sukma

4th May 2010
The Brunei Times

Chief Minister of Melaka, Datuk Seri Hj Md Ali Md Rustam, delivers his speech at the 'Jom Ke Melaka' roadshow in Gadong yesterday.

THE Sultanate will send 75 athletes to compete in the 13th edition of the Malaysia Games (Sukma) to be hosted by Melaka from June 10-19.

Pg Sabri Pg Hj Mohamad, the Deputy Director of the Youth and Sports Department, announced this to the Press during the "Jom Ke Melaka" roadshow held at the Gold Stone Ballroom of the Centrepoint Hotel in Gadong yesterday.

Including the officers, the Sultanate will send a contingent totalling 135 to the Games.

Pg Sabri also said Brunei would compete in 13 of the 33 sports to be featured in Melaka.

The Brunei contingent will be led by chef de mission Hj Rosmadi Hj Md Daud, the Acting Deputy Director of the Youth and Sports Department.

Pg Sabri was attending the roadshow which guest of honour, Chief Minister of Melaka, Datuk Seri Hj Md Ali Md Rustam, was promoting.

Md Ali said the State is using the Games to venture into sports tourism.

To prepare for the Games the State has spent RM$105 million to renovate and build the venues which will be used throughout the 10-day tournament.

Nine thousand athletes from 15 States including Brunei will be competing at the Games and Md Ali expects an influx of 500,000 visitors during the 10-day period, generating a revenue of RM$250 million.

The Chief Minister also extended his invitation to the Brunei contingent to train at the Games venues, saying: "Most of the venues were built for the Games for example the swimming pool, the tennis courts and hockey fields are all new so it would be better if the athletes can familiarise themselves with the new facilities."

Md Ali, who is also the chairman of the Games' organising committee, also emphasised the State's commitment to make the Melaka Sukma a success.

"We have had a Games drill which covers everything down to the very minute detail," said Md Ali.

The Chief Minister played down news reports on new Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak in Malaysia.

It has been reported that Malaysian national badminton coach Rashid Sidek and his daughter were admitted to a private hospital on Saturday after both were certified H1N1 positive.

"Regarding H1N1, it is just a natural phenomenon. It is happening throughout the world and though there is a reason to be worried, to overeact would be another matter. We assure everyone that necessary steps to prevent an outbreak will be taken at each venue, all athletes will be thoroughly scanned and advised on H1N1."

He added that athletes participating in the Games will not be asked to take the H1N1 vaccination shots, fearing the side-effects of such a shot might hinder their performance.

There is another cause to worry though as the Games will clash with another major sporting event in South Africa the World Cup.

However, Md Ali remains unflustered and thinks the World Cup will instead boost the Games atmosphere.

"I don't think the World Cup will be one of the factors that will stop fans from travelling to Melaka. With the time difference (between Malaysia and South Africa), updates and screenings of the matches will constantly be played at venues where people can enjoy it," said the Chief Minister.

All in all, Md Ali guarantees that visitors to the 13th Sukma in Melaka will be offered the best experience.

"The State will do its best to make the experience enjoyable for everyone," he concluded.

HRH and partner go down fighting

4th May 2010
The Brunei Times

His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Mateen (L) and Md Nazlee Pehin Dato Hj Jaafar in action at the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas last night.

THE pair of His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Mateen and Md Nazlee Pehin Dato Hj Jaafar were ousted off the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup after losing lost 19-21, 20-22 at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas last night.

After surviving a scare on Sunday night only to bounce back to win 2-1, lady luck was not on their side last night against the pair of Pg Anak Ghaffar Idris and Wadud Mahrub.

Competing in Men's Doubles B, the duo got off to a bad start when HRH conceded the first point.

However, their opponents also conceded unnecessary points to keep the match tight. It was then that HRH won points in succession to finally take a one-point lead at 11-10 at the interval.

After misjudging a shot to concede a point, HRH redeemed the mistake with a shot that forced his opponents to commit a mistake which restored their lead at 14-13.

Yet his opponents didn't give up, taking the match to a point away from winning the first set, 17-20. Though HRH and Nazlee scored successfully to cut the deficit, another mistake was all it took for their opponents to claim the set at 21-19.

The pair again started on the backfoot in the second set, but Pg Anak Ghaffar and Wadud recklessly conceded points, losing the lead at 4-6.

The lack of chemistry between HRH and the AM Gunners FC striker was apparent though, losing the lead as fast as they got it. But the Prince and his partner fought back to take an 11-8 lead at the interval.

The match heated up after the brief break but the ever dependable Nazlee used his overhead smash to take a 17-14 lead.

The three-point cushion was not enough though, HRH and Nazlee committing a series of mistakes that allowed their opponents to catch up before taking the set 22-20.

A total of 40 matches were contested last night in the Men's Doubles B and Veteran Doubles category. Court action will continue today, starting at 7pm.

Royal shuttlers through to next round

May 3, 2010

The Brunei Times

(Left) HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah in action in the first round of the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas yesterday. (Right) His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Mateen is one of the players to take part in the first round yesterday.

THE first round of the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup started yesterday and His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Mateen and HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah both survived the first hurdle.

Contested at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas, the Prince and Princess triumphed against their respective opponents in their respective events to advance to the next round.

Competing in the Open Doubles B, HRH Prince 'Abdul Mateen took to the court with his partner, the AM Gunners FC striker Md Nazlee Pehin Dato Hj Jaafar, to win 2-1 against the pair of Hj Jack and Mus Sunardi.

The duo were almost ousted off the competition after losing 16-21 in the first set. However the Prince and Md Nazlee rallied back 21-16 in the second set to bring the match into the final set, in which they won 21-14 to move into the next round.

HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah, on the other hand, powered through the Open Mixed Doubles with partner Aziz Jaafar, winning 2-0.

Up against the pair of Suhif and Amal, HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah showed why she was a force to be reckoned with, clinching the first point with a neat drop shot over the net.

Playing at the front while Aziz guarded the rearcourt, the duo outplayed their opponents for a healthy lead of 11-5 at the interval.

The combination proved too deadly for Suhif and Amal, unable to reply to Aziz's powerful overhead shots.

Poor service by the couple only served to gift HRH and Aziz free points to extend their lead by nine points, at 19-10.

Towards the end of the first set, both pairs slugged it out to concede a point with each service. However the lead proved too much for Suhif and Amal, succumbing to a 12-21 loss in the first set with an Aziz smash.

The second set began with HRH's serve and this time the opponents gave it their all.

The two teams were involved in a neat exchange that took Aziz's smash to once again crush Suhif and Amal's defence to make it 11-6 at the interval.

After the break HRH and Aziz lost their impressive rhythm, committing mistakes that enabled their opponents to cut their lead to a mere two points, at 19-17. Yet that was as close as they got, stopped in their tracks with another smash to end the game 21-17.

The Open Doubles A was also contested yesterday.

Battle to the top will resume today starting at 7pm.

168 shuttlers ready for battle

2nd May 2010
The Brunei Times

SOME 168 shuttlers will hit the courts for the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup today at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

Five categories will be contested in the tournament: Open Singles Under-23, Open Doubles A (Seeded Players), Open Doubles B (Intermediate), Open Mixed Doubles and Open Veteran (45 years old and above).

His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Mateen and HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah will also be competing in the tournament.

A total of 40 matches will be played today, with HRH Prince 'Abdul Mateen taking part in the Open Doubles B while HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bulqiah will play in the Open Mixed Doubles.

The Open Singles U-23 will also kick off today and the finals will be contested on Saturday.

Winners will receive cash prizes as well as an assortment of Ashaway goodies.

The tournament aims to promote badminton in the country and fostering closer ties between players.

National junior squad Ihsan Zainuddin, Sharil Sahiziwan Tikom and brothers Faiz and Mohd Syahmil Fajrin Wahab are among the promising players expected to shine in the singles category.

The coach of the Department of Youth and Sports, Wahab Moksin, expects the quartet to face each other in the final.

Athirah Open Confirmed on 2nd May

ATHIRAH OPEN, will be the upcoming badminton tournament in Brunei Darussalam.

Organised by Athirah Badminton Club, the tournament will begin on 2nd May to 8th May 2010.

There are 5 categories up for contest,

- Group A Open Doubles (only for seeded players)
- Group B Open Doubles
- U23 Men Singles
- Open Mixed Doubles
- Veteran Men's Doubles

Registration forms are available at Krisma Sports on 1st floor Centrepoint Hotel, Gadong.
Closing date for registration is predictably 25th April.

Tournament venue is PROBABLY the Multipurpose Hall Stadium, Berakas. (this is not confirmed yet as there are speculations of it being held in Menglait Sports Complex)

The information above may be subjected to changes. Please check with the organisers of this event.

Tournament in May

Fellow badminton lovers, we've gathered some information on the upcoming tournament to be held on the 2nd of May 2010.

There are still some more confirmation to do as we are still not sure of it.

We would appreciate it if anyone could get us some insight information regarding the tournament in May.

email us more at bdmintonbn@yahoo.com.

regards,
Badminton Brunei blog-staff.

HRH: Do more for our athletes

The Brunei Times
5th March 2010

The president of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BNOC) His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah at the meeting yesterday. (Above) Members of the BNOC and national sports associations attended a meeting with the BNOC president His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah.

THE president of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BNOC) His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah yesterday called on the Department of Youth and Sports to intensify its efforts in assisting national sports associations.

His Royal Highness chaired a meeting between BNOC, officials from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and representatives of national sports associations at the Conference Room of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas to discuss several issues with cooperation the central theme.

"Among this meeting's objectives are for us to discuss the preparations that will be made for the country to participate in regional and international tournaments to be held this year and the next.

"I hope that we can use this open forum to offer our opinions and constructive thoughts to ensure the development of sports in this country.

"This meeting is also for us to remember our responsibilities; be it members of BNOC or registered sports associations.

"To those sports associations who are not brave enough to voice their opinions, write BNOC a letter and I will look into it," he assured.

The meeting also gave the associations a platform to air their grievances and concerns, with representatives of the national athletics, badminton, fencing and golf associations among those who spoke up.

The five-month period from August to December will see four major multisports events contested — the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, and the Asian Beach Games in Muscat and His Royal Highness said the country should start planning from now.

On the ministry's national selection and evaluation committee that decides which sports and athletes can represent the country at international tournaments, the BNOC president called upon the ministry to heed the various recommendations from the associations.

"Some people in the ministry do not want to accept the coaches' opinions," he said.

"If that is the case then why should coaches be kept? I want to see changes which have positives results, that is what is important.

"Examine what should be done to help the associations and don't be biased.

"That is all I am asking," he said

The president hoped that such meetings would be held from time to time to nurture a more open, harmonious and united environment between the stakeholders as well as provide a clear goal.

"I hope this will kickstart the birth of a strong and unified partnership which is well-managed and respected as well as has direction ... in our goal to create a vision that is outlined in the National Sports Policy book; especially for 'High Prestige Sports'," he said.

His Royal Highness also highlighted the two reasons why the policy was drafted saying that "the development of sports is the joint responsibility between the government and non-governmental agencies such as youth and sports associations" and "the desire to see sports in the Sultanate developed through the country's participation at the international arena".

"The question is are we really doing our jobs? Think about it ...," he said.

"The BNOC wants to see sports associations improve their performances in 2010. The athletes should show the country that they want to be better in 2010.

"To the athletes; ignore what people say. Train hard, work hard and you will succeed.

"That is my personal view as a former athlete who has represented Brunei at the SEA Games, not as BNOC president," he added.

It's March!!!!

Good news badminton lovers. We have finally received the exhibition videos from Yonex Brunei Open in January 2010.

Many thanks to Sophian for sending a mail and share with us. =)

Enjoy!

Mixed Double Exhibition Match from Shopian Said on Vimeo.

Mens Double Exhibition Match from Shopian Said on Vimeo.

Badminton: Last Minute finish 1st in men's doubles

The Brunei Times
Monday, February 22, 2010

THE Land Department yesterday held the Land's Department 100 Years Modern Land Administration Badminton Open 2010 Championship at the Multipurpose Hall of the Youth and Sports Centre in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Open to all Land's Department staff, some 15 teams participated in the competition.

The guest of honour, Pg Abd Wahab Pg Hassan, the Land Commissioner, was present to hand over prizes to the winning teams.

Last Minute, represented by Fadli Hj Sukarjo and Lamin Layang, won the Men's Doubles category.

Second place fell to Penaksiran Blog.Spot, made up of Hj Harun Budin and Eddy Nor Ezwan Hj Mohammad.

The pair of Hj Saharuddin Hj Sabtu and Hj Tusin Momin finished third while Erwan Shawal and Hj Darussani Abd Manap placed fourth.

In the Open Doubles category, Mat Yassin Hj Abdullah and Suriati Hj Musa were the champions.

Runners-up went to the Warriors pair of Hj Junaidi Hj Pudin and Fadli Hj Sukarjo.

Third were Hjh Fauziah Hj Md Said and Hj Saharuddin Hj Sabtu while Sahabas claimed fourth.The Brunei Times

Bad day for Stella's School shuttlers

The Brunei Times
Monday, February 22, 2010

STELLA'S SCHOOL fielded two teams for the Badminton Team Tournament between Private Schools and both were unable to come up with a win in their first test at the Multipurpose Hall of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary School yesterday.

Hosts Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (SHHB) Secondary School bounced back from the defeat against tournament favourites Chung Hwa Middle School on Friday by beating Stella's School B 3-0.

In the first match between the two schools Stella B's shuttlers did not have a chance against the Yayasan SHHB duo of Kaniz Abd Shakoor and Siniah Hj Simat.

The Stella B ladies were in each other's way most of the time and the lack of chemistry was the main cause of their defeat as Yayasan SHHB won 21-3 in the first set.

Stella B slowly started to get into the game at 18-9 in the second set, but it was far too late by then as they were not able to reply the deadly smashes from the Malay Language and Geography teachers to lose 21-10.

Kaniz and Siniah's Yayasan SHHB teammates were also able to get positive results over Stella B to make it 3-0.

"We are very happy with the win," said Kaniz and Siniah.

"We're going to do our best for the tournament and hopefully we'll get to at least reach the semi-finals."

Those were also the words echoed by Tutong Public's Dk Hjh Sarah and Hjh Noi who also won in their match against Stella A.

Smiling broadly after the match Dk Hjh Sarah and Hjh Noi said: "We're extremely happy with the results even though we were very nervous before playing.

"We're aiming for at least the semi-finals spot," they added.

They were the last pair representing Tutong Public and their match was merely a consolation affair as the team were already 2-0 up, their teammates delivering the win earlier.

Even though the duo had not actually practised for the tournament they won their match to make it a perfect 3-0 win for Tutong Public.

St John's School of Kuala Belait were also victorious beating Bright Jigsaw 2-1.

The tournament will resume on March 5.

Team Tournament: Winning start for CHMS KB shuttlers

The Brunei Times
Saturday, February 20, 2010

CHUNG Hua Middle School Kuala Belait (CHMS KB) took some time off celebrating the Chinese New Year to beat the Private Education Unit (PEU) 2-1 in the opener of yesterday's Badminton Team Tournament between Private Schools held in conjunction with the 2009 Teacher's Day.

Organised by the Ministry of Education's Private Education Unit, the competition at the Multipurpose Hall of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary School see 12 men's teams and 17 women's teams compete for the title of champions.

The men of CHMS KB awarded their opponents a walkover win in the first match but came back to win the second match 21-15, 21-21 to tie the game.

It was the match which drew most of the crowd's attention, and CHMS KB prevailed despite PEU looking the more experienced side.

The team from Kuala Belait then went on to win the third match 21-13, 21-3 to make it a worthwhile trip to the capital.

"We are very happy with our performance since we came up all the way from Kuala Belait for this," said one of CHMS KB's players, Gerard Sung.

"I think we won because of the way we arranged our matches and paired up the right players. We played the correct line-up.

"Our aim is to get into the final though we have only been practising on and off for the past couple of months," said Sung, who partnered Mak Soon Kok in the second match yesterday.

Their next game is against Chung Lian on March 5.

Though Sung said he was not sure which were the teams to watch out for, he added that he heard Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS BSB) would pose a challenge.

The other men's match saw St Andrew's beat Nusa Laila 3-0.

Meanwhile in the women's category, CHMS BSB beat the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary School 3-0 and PEU overcame Nusa Laila 3-0.

In her speech at the opening ceremony, the chairperson of the tournament's executive committee stressed that the competition was used to instil a sporting spirit among the contestants and also a healthy lifestyle.

"Among its aims are also to strengthen the ties between the schools and teachers taking part in this competition," Ismah Hj Besar added.

The competition resumes at 10am tomorrow, with three men's matches and 10 women's matches to be played throughout the day.

The final is set for March 12 at 2.45pm.

The guest of honour at yesterday's opening ceremony was Dk Hjh Mastoli Pg Seri Indera Pg Hj Ismail, Director General of the Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Education badminton tournament

The Brunei Times
Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Ministry of Education will be organising the Badminton Team Tournament between Private Schools in conjunction with 2009 Teacher's Day this Friday.

According to a Press release issued by the tournament's organisers yesterday, the Ministry of Education's Private Education Unit, the competition at the Multipurpose Hall of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary School will start at 2:45pm.

Group stage matches will held on Sunday and will resume next Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be contested on March 7 from 8:30am to 4:30pm as well, with the final on March 12 set to start at 2:45pm followed by the prize presentation.

The Press release added that the guest of honour at the opening ceremony will be Dk Hjh Mastoli Pg Seri Indera Pg Hj Ismail, Director General of the Ministry of Education.

Brunei Shuttlers Still Without A Coach

Borneo Bulletin
Sunday, 14 February 2010


Bandar Seri Begawan - The Brunei national shuttlers have been training the past two months at the Menglait Sports Complex without a head coach in sight.

According to national captain, who is the current national No 1, Jaspar Yu, the team has been slacking and found it hard to keep their motivations high without the guidance of their ex-coach Wu Xue Kai of China.

"The national team has been without a head coach for two months now and it is disappointing not to hear any updates coming from the authorities," said the 21-year-old Jaspar. When asked of his overview regarding the recently concluded Yonex Brunei Open, he said that everyone in the team did well fighting on the courts even without proper preparations. However, the results would have been better if their coach was with them the whole time before and during the tournament.

Jaspar also took time to express his concern for the current national equipment sponsorship that is increasingly a hot topic in the training camp. The national players via the Brunei National Badminton Association are in equipment sponsorship contract with the Yonex Sunrise Company from Singapore.

"As far as I know, all national players are entitled to two annual sponsorships and probably additional sponsors for tournaments. We have not received any equipment since January 2009," said Jaspar. When asked of the national side's next tournament preparations, Jaspar said that nothing is certain at the moment.

In 2009, the national side has been excluded from international tournaments for the whole year due to a budget according to feedbacks from the badminton association. The national side had only been involved in one local hosted Borneo Games for the whole of 2009 and they have bagged two targeted bronze medals in both the men and women's team event under the charge of the China-born coach Wu.

Jaspar said that there are many potential players in Brunei and he would like to see these players being groomed in the right direction with a proper training system and enough tournament exposures. The recent Yonex Brunei Open in fact has proven the national No 1 right, as many young players from all four districts showcased their abilities.

"I think what the governing bodies need to tackle immediately is to consider and appoint a qualified head coach. Most of us are heading downstream and that is not good.
"We've had a frustrating year in 2009 and we're entering February 2010. This is time for the authorities concerned to realise the importance of the role they play," he said.

Jaspar was also picked by the organisers of the Yonex Brunei Open as a Brunei representative to feature in the mixed-double exhibition match on the final day against the Japanese mixed-double icon pair of Reiko Shiota - Shintaro Ikaeda.

"It was my first time ever playing in an exhibition match and to be honest I didn't think I played my best to the crowds. However, I've learnt a great experience.

"I wasn't at my best condition to begin with since we're two months without a coach and proper training," he added.

"The Japanese are world class. There is an obvious gap between their levels and mine but I hope to close in that gap given the right opportunity. I believe we have enough talents in Brunei", said the 21-year-old confidently.

Badminton: Coach Wu leaves national team

The Brunei Times
Saturday, February 6, 2010

Coach Wu Xue Kai's contract has expired.

AFTER 15 years at the helm Wu Xue Kai has left his post as the head coach of the national badminton team.

The 52-year-old Wu's contract expired after last December's 3rd Borneo Games which the Sultanate hosted, and the Department of Youth and Sports decided not to continue his services.

"My contract finished last year and I handed in my letter (to continue) after that, but the department did not want to renew it," said Wu yesterday.

"I would have liked to stay but the department told me I cannot, so I have started looking for another job," added the Chinese coach.

Wu said he had no regrets and was satisfied with his tenure which started in 1994, making him one of the longest serving national coaches in Brunei.

"I am happy with my time here and the reason I took this job was to help improve badminton in Brunei," he added.

According to the national team's assistant coach Fadzli Hj Masri, Wu's greatest success was probably guiding Ak Nur Maizi Pg Othman to gold in the men's singles competition of the 1997 Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia.

Though he refused to comment on whether the Department of Youth and Sports should have renewed Wu's contract, Fadzli admitted that the coach might not be the right man for the job any longer.

"He is a good coach but there have been a lot of differences in training since he first took over," said Fadzli yesterday.

Japanese Bid Farewell to Brunei Darussalam

TOP Japanese shuttlers Ikaeda Shintaro, Reiko Shiota, Noriyasu Hirata and Keita Masuda who were in Brunei for the past 4 days to promote badminton in an exhibition match in the finals of the Yonex Brunei Open Ike-Shio Cup left for Japan yesterday, 31st January 2010.

Their flight was scheduled at 19:10 (7.10pm). They will have a transit flight to Singapore then Japan.

According to Mr.Okouchi, the Japanese shuttlers have all enjoyed their stay in Brunei despite being their first visit. They have visited almost everywhere in Brunei during their stay and we hope to see them coming back to Brunei again in the future.

Present to see them off at the airport yesterday were Okouchi and Kaori from the Japanese Embassy, ex-national head coach Imay Hendra and current national shuttler Jasper.

Sadly, representative officials from Brunei National Badminton Association were nowhere to be seen at the airport.

Bon Voyage!

A 'Heppy' day for Wong

The Brunei Times


BERYNO WONG could not have asked for a better first trip to Brunei.

The Sabah player won the open singles and mixed doubles categories of yesterday's Yonex Brunei Open, making it an outing to remember after pocketing $1,600 for his efforts at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

He beat Admiral Heppy 21-14, 21-13 in the open singles to take home $1,200 and then partnered Amelia Alicia to a 21-12, 21-8 result against Sandy and Rahman to split $800.

"This is my first tournament in Brunei so I am happy I was able to win the tournament," said Wong.

"I prepared hard for this event and my focus now will be on my next international tournament, the German Open Super Series in March," added the Kota Kinabalu-native.

An ex-Malaysian national team shuttler, Wong said that he stopped after a two-year injury forced him out of the game.

He had no intentions to rejoin the team and said he preferred to focus on his club career at AST.

The biggest badminton club in Sabah, the AST Badminton Club trains players for State, national and Badminton World Federation tournaments.

Defeated semi-finalists, Liew Wah Sam and Cornelius, were awarded joint-third in the open singles while Heru and Nikmah and Dodi and Azura were awarded joint-third in the mixed doubles.

Vong Xiang Wei and Lester Fong took home the open doubles title after beating Liew Wah Sam and Ting Sing Kiat 21-12, 21-8.

The pairings of Ermadena Hj Talip and Amran Kambar and brothers Huzaimi and Zulkifli Hj Salleh were both awarded bronze.

Victor Yuan and Gabriel Wong beat Lau Yi Ping and Aaron Hii Lu 21-17, 21-13 to capture the junior doubles (Under-17) title.

The duos of Abdul Qawi and Sheril and Lee Zia Hern and Sim Chia were both awarded joint-third.

Mohammad and Borhan beat Asri and Suhailee 21-13, 16-21, 21-19 to be crowned champions of the veteran doubles category.

The team pairings of Pg Ismail/Lee Choy and Ng Hui/Robert, meanwhile, finished joint-third in the category.

Japanese shuttlers out to woo Brunei fans

The Brunei Times


JAPAN'S top shuttlers Reiko Shiota and Shintaro Ikeda are ready to woo badminton fans in the Sultanate during an exhibition match at the Yonex Brunei Open today.

The pair arrived late Wednesday with two other Japanese national shuttlers, Keita Masuda and Noriyasu Hirata, and yesterday paid a courtesy call to the Japanese Ambassador to Brunei, Hirose Noriki, at the Embassy of Japan in Kiulap near here.

"I'm proud of having the opportunity to come and play here. I hope it will help us to foster better relationship with Brunei," said Shiota in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

Despite only arriving on Wednesday, Ikeda is already in love with the country.

"Brunei is really beautiful and the weather here is nice. It has been very good so far and we are staying at a nice hotel, too," said Ikeda.

The pair of Ikeda and Shiota known as the IKE-SHIO combination are trying to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012 in the mixed doubles event.

Shiota, 26, is the former women's champion in the Japan Open for five consecutive years from 2004-2008.

Her partner, the 29-year-old Ikeda, was the men's doubles champion during the 2008 Japan Open.

Meanwhile, Masuda is the men's singles champion in Japan from 1998 to 2002. He then claimed the men's doubles champion in Japan from 2002 to 2004 before moving on to win the mixed doubles from 2005 to 2007.

The 30-year-old player too won the US Open 2007 men's doubles title.

Hirata, 26, was the Japanese men's doubles champion just last year.

Held at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas, the finals of the junior doubles, mixed doubles and veteran doubles categories will be held at 9am today.

The events at night will start at 7.45pm with desmonstrations by the Japanese national shuttlers followed by the finals of both the singles and doubles categories. The exhibition matches will be held after the finals.

Japanese Badminton Players Arrived!

Top Japanese badminton players have arrived in Brunei Darussalam late last night.

Four national Japanese players Keita Masuda, Noriyasu Hirata and the mixed pair of Reiko Shiota and Shintaro Ikaeda will be playing an exhibition match during the final of the Yonex Brunei Open Ike-Shio Cup (tomorrow, Friday).

Okouchi at the airport upon arrival.

Okouchi (centre) with two Japanese badminton players.

*photos credits to ranoadidas.com.

Day 4 of Yonex Brunei Open

Princess Fadzillah/Fadli reach quarter finals. It was a tough match indeed but the mixed double pair of HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bolkiah and Fadli won their match against Hj Wahid and Wiwi in rubber sets.. However, Fadli is struggling with a bruised elbow but he should be fit for tomorrow's quarter-final match.

The mixed-double pairing Ali Mustapa/Anna forced a great game against Dodi/Azura which went to deuce in the rubber tie before Dodi/Azura escaped with a win for a place in the quarter-finals. That was probably the best mixed-double match I caught last evening.

Jasmain/Amalina lost in the 3rd round while Dodi/Fadli almost lost their doubles match and saved a match point in rubber set to prevail. Today's Yonex Badminton will start early from 3pm to 6pm.

*credits to ranoadidas.com for covering the above news

Meanwhile,

NATIONAL shuttlers on the other hand, all crashed out in the 4th day of Yonex Brunei Open.

The national no.1 men's double pair, Jasper Yu-Ak Halim once again produced a spectacular "match of the night" performance before losing out to Dodi-Fadli in a rubber game thriller.

It has been 3 night in a row that they have entertained the crowds with never ending surprises.

From their first round shocking comeback match to avoid defeat, to their second magnificent match performance to overcome Indonesian pair Aan Kustiawan/Menarki Sugito.

The youngsters Jasper Yu-Ak Halim should have sealed their 3rd round encounter against Dodi/Fadli where by the former knotted up two match points, but experience proved costly as the national pair failed to convert their advantage.

Lets hope to see more of these two young boys in the future!

Yu out of Yonex Open

*published by The Brunei Times*

NATIONAL shuttler Jasper Yu Woon Chai was knocked out of the open singles of the Yonex Brunei Open.

He lost his second round match against Cornelius @ Yus 21-14, 21-19 at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

"In the first set I could not keep up the pace and read his movement," said Yu of his Indonesian opponent yesterday.

"In the second set I got to know his movements but I made many mistakes in the net area - which is supposed to be my strength.

"I made too many mistakes, that's why I lost the game," he summed up.

Though there were other national players taking part in the tournament's doubles event, many of them had teamed up with non-national team players.

Yu added that he had to train by himself because national badminton coach Wu Xue Kai is not with the team any longer because of contract disputes.

"I am not fully prepared coming into the tournament, and I think I am only about 70 per cent fit," he said.

"My aim was to get into the quarter-finals but I had a tough draw, and Cornelius is one of the title contenders," he added.

Yu still has the open doubles to play though, where he will partner Ak Abd Halim Pg Hj Ismail in the third round today.

One of the more accomplished players in the national team, Yu and his teammates won a bronze medal in the men's team event of last month's 3rd Borneo Games which the Sultanate hosted.

He also won three gold medals in the Youth Sports Festival (Pesta Sukan Remaja) in the men's singles, men's doubles and team event.

The Brunei Times.

Day 3 of Yonex Brunei Open

Day 3 of the Yonex Brunei Open Ike-Shio Cup saw most of the national singles shuttler packing.

The only survivor who made it into the third round in the singles department Mohd Ihsan Zanudin lost Mirian boy Ting Sing Kiat in two straight games.

However, things are flying high in the doubles department. Jasper Yu-Ak halim, Fairie Syah-Liaw Choon Sian, mixed pair of Mohd Ihsan-Farina Afida and junior pairs Fairie Syah-Daniel Alus have all cleared their hurdles and are through to the next rounds. All pairs will be in action tonight, 27th January 2010 at the indoor stadium.

It wasn't an easy game for HRH Princess Fadzillah Lubabul Bolkiah who partnered with Fadli in mixed doubles in the Yonex Brunei Open. The mixed pair was forced into a rubber set die against Hafizul and Erny. In the end, HRH & Fadli won the final set 21-19 in a thriller game. Their next match will be today at the Indoor Stadium.

Fadli & HRH Princess Fadzillah in action.


National mixed pair Mohd Ihsan-Farina Afida through to next round.

Last but not least our favourite and the most famous Japanese badminton player in Brunei, Okouchi and partner Mei Mei lost their opening round to Athirah Team of Khairudin-Marinah.

Day 2 of Yonex Brunei Open

The second day of Yonex Brunei Open Ike-Shio Cup was dominated by the Athirah Team with most of their men doubles pairs through to their next rounds.

However the match of the night belonged to the pairing of Jasper Yu-Ak Halim who almost crashed out of their first round encounter with unseeded pairing of Ali Darwin-Abd Hannan.

Jasper Yu-Ak Halim who are the national no.1 pair (also representing Athirah Team) at the moment could not get their game going in the opening round. They took the first set nervously 22-20 then goes out of steam in the second set losing 17-21 and pushed for a third game.

In the decider, Jasper Yu-Ak Halim who were still struggling to overcome the drifts and lighting in the stadium trailed by 16-20 and that should have sealed their fate in early exits. However, lady luck was on their side which saw a wonderful comeback. Sheer determination! And they sent home Ali Darwin-Abd Hannan 25-23.

Jasper Yu-Ak Halim, a "wake up call" for more consistent form.


The boys in blue won it in the end.


Former national head coach Imay Hendra also in action with partner Aziz.

photo credits to ranoadidas.com

Day 1 of Yonex Brunei Open

Sunday 24th January marked the day which saw the start of the Yonex Brunei Open Ike-Shio Cup.

The tournament got off to a good start catching attentions and attracting crowds in the country.

Here are some photos which we have gathered, credits to ranoadidas.com

HRH Princess Fadzillah watching from the stands


Pg Muda Bahar and Wewen lost their first round


Jasmain and Amalina won their first round too.

Timetable & Schedules Out!!

The timetable and schedules for the Yonex Brunei Open Ike-Shio Cup are finally OUT!

They are available at 1st floor, Krisma Sports Centrepoint Hotel Gadong.

Do drop by to check it out.

Two more days to go! Can't wait...

Goodluck everyone~