Sepak Takraw event begins

THE Brunei Darussalam Sepak Takraw Association (Pestabaru) had an opening ceremony last night for their annual Sepak Takraw Regu Tournament held at the Menglait Sports Complex, Gadong.

The tournament is in conjunction with His Majesty's 61st Birthday Celebration and organised in collaboration with the Department of Youth and Sports under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Yesterday's opening night saw 10 teams battle it out in a single knock-out format.

In his speech, the President of the Brunei Darussalam Sepak Takraw Association, Pg Hj Ali Hassan Pg DSLJ Hj Abas explained that, "this is an opportunity for us to celebrate His Majesty's 61st Birthday through sports".

He also mentioned that the association is keen to look out for possible candidates to represent the country in this area of sport. "We're keeping an eye out for players with exceptional talents to be recruited into our national team.

"Hopefully by December, we can send them off to compete in the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand and of course, other international competitions," he added.

Around 20 teams are participating in the Sepak Takraw Regu Tournament, in which they will be fighting for the winning spot nightly until the finals to be competed next week.

The president also said that the current tournament is just one among the many projects that their association is working with.

According to him, there will be a National Youth Tournament which will commence on August 4.

The registration forms for the National Youth Tournament can be collected from the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium by July 16. The forms have to be submitted before July 30.

The Brunei Times