30 sepak takraw referees promoted

The Brunei Darussalam Sepak Takraw Association (Pestabaru) celebrated another achievement on its 40th anniversary when 30 Bruneians were promoted to National Level 1 referees.

The announcement was made by Pestabaru president Pg Hj Ali Hassan Pg Dato Hj Abas, in a thanksgiving ceremony held at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas last Thursday.

A course for referees organised by Pestabaru in cooperation with Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council and the Department of Youth and Sports held in May, saw the referees receive excellent results which was confirmed by the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia.

The three-day training course involved putting the National Level 3 men through practical tests at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, before gaining their promotion on September 1.

"Currently we do have a number of good referees but some of them fall under the retired status. Though they can still referee, this is a need to ensure that there will be successors," said Mokti Hj Abd Ghani, Pestabaru chief secretariat.

One of the most active associations in the Sultanate is not stopping there though. Pestabaru is looking at the bigger picture for the men.

"Hopefully by next year we can then send the men for Istaf (International Sepak Takraw Federation) and Astaf (Asian Sepak Takraw Federation) level training courses and get their certificates," said the Pestabaru chief secretariat.

Astaf was founded in 1960 by representatives of various Southeast Asian countries. It was then that the sport was officially called sepak takraw and a set of rules and regulations was established.

In 1988 the federation then led to the formation of Istaf, the organisation that sanctions international competitions in sepak takraw.

"We want to be ready when our men are to be called for duty in future international tournaments," he added.

Recently three men from the federation received Istaf level certificates, after undergoing a training course in Thailand, that will allow them to referee at competitions around the world.

Including the three, Pestabaru now has seven internationally recognised referees which is one of the most proud moments for the federation, according to Pestabaru tournament secretariat Hj Abu Bakar Kassim.

Pestabaru boasts the reputation of being one of the first to send representatives in the Sultanate's debut at the ninth edition of the Southeast Asian (Sea) Games, held at Kuala Lumpur back in 1977.

From then on, they have grown in strength and continue to send athletes to competitions around the world. The national team secured bronze in regu when the Sultanate hosted the 1999 Sea Games.

They are also an active participant at the annual King's Cup in Thailand, for more than 20 years.

It was last year that in this very tournament that Pestabaru claimed their best achievement. The national team won gold and silver in the men's team and men's inter-regu event respectively.

They competed for the top honours again this year at the Sompot 700 Years Anniversary Stadium in Chiangmai, Thailand, and returned with a silver and bronze.

Both medals came from Division One events, the silver from the men's team and the bronze from the men's doubles.

To ensure continued success in the sport, Pestabaru will be organising a tournament for the youths later this month.

Planned as an annual competition, the inaugural tournament will feature six under 21-year-old teams: Schools Sports Council, Temburong, Tutong, Belait and two from Brunei-Muara.

On the international scene however, the national sepak takraw team has a busy schedule at the end of this year.

Next up on their calendar is the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Meanwhile in December, two tournaments await for the national team. First is the 2nd Asian Beach Games in Oman, followed by the Bimp-Eaga Friendship Games in the Philippines.

The Brunei Times