Malaysia Keep the Same Twelve Sepak Takraw Players for the Asian Games and Say It Is No Place for Experiments
Malaysia's sepak takraw federation has retained the 12 players who won two SEA Games golds for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Sepak takraw is a Southeast Asian net game in which players use their feet, knees, chest and head, but not their hands, to play a woven ball over the net. The regu is contested by teams of three, and the team regu is a contest between squads made up of several regu.
The Malaysian Sepaktakraw Federation (PSM) announced on 4 September that it has retained the 12 players who helped Malaysia win two gold medals at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The squad comprises tekong, or servers, Syahir Rosdi, Haziq Hairul Nizam, Zulkifli Razak and Zarif Marican Ibrahim Marican; strikers Azlan Alias, Noraizat Nordin, Afifuddin Razali and Hafizul Hayazi Adnan; and feeders Farhan Adam, Amirul Zazwan Amir, Aidil Aiman Azwawi and Zuleffendi Sumari. The head coach is Ahmad Jais Baharun.
PSM president Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan, who is also Malaysia's chef de mission for the Games, said the Asian Games were not a place to experiment or to give young players exposure, but to chase medals, particularly gold. He has named the men's regu and men's team regu as the targets, while warning that it will not be easy.
In the team event, Malaysia are in Group B with India, the Philippines and hosts Japan. In the regu they are grouped with Vietnam and Myanmar.
Sepak takraw will be held at the Paloma Mizuho Arena in Nagoya from 20 September to 3 October, with the team regu finals on 25 September and the regu finals on 29 September. Malaysia are sending 352 athletes to the Games, which run from 19 September to 4 October, with an overall target of six gold medals.