2013 Badminton Asia Championships

Location:  Taipei Arena, Taiwan

Date: 16th - 21st April 2013


Results/Winners


Men's Singles
1st - Pengyu DU   (China)
2nd - Long CHEN (China)
3rd - Wei Feng CHONG  (Malaysia)
3rd - Zhengming WANG (China)


Women's Singles
1st - Yihan WANG   (China)
2nd - Xuerui LI   (China)
3rd - Sayaka TAKAHASHI  (Japan)
3rd - Eriko HIROSE   (Japan)


Men's Doubles 
1st - Sung Hyun KO & Yong Dae LEE  (South Korea)
2nd - Ki Jung KIM & Sa Rang KIM   (South Korea)
3rd - V Shem GOH & Khim Wah LIM   (Malaysia)
3rd - Hiroyuki ENDO & Kenichi HAYAKAWA   (Japan)


Women's Doubles
1st - Xiaoli WANG & Yang (F) YU  (China)
2nd - Jin MA & Jinhua TANG  (China)
3rd - A Ra KO & Hae Won YOO  (South Korea)
3rd - Gebby Ristiyani IMAWAN  & Tiara Rosalia NURAIDAH  (Indonesia)


Mixed Doubles
1st - Sung Hyun KO & Ha Na KIM (South Korea)
2nd - Nan ZHANG & Yunlei ZHAO (China)
3rd - Fran KURNIAWAN  & Shendy Puspa IRAWATI  (Indonesia)
3rd - Chun Hei LEE & Hoi Wah CHAU  (Hong Kong)

Republic’s SEA Games hopes boosted with first international titles

Source: todayonline

SINGAPORE — If there is a case for more support for their sport in Singapore, the Republic’s wrestlers certainly have produced one.

After funding for the sport here was cut recently, national wrestlers Leonard Kong and Arvind Lalwani pulled off a historic three-gold medal haul — a first for Singapore in an international event — at the Pre-SEA Games Wrestling Tournament in Yangon, Myanmar.

Although rivals Philippines were absent from the meet, Singapore’s overall medal haul of three gold, one silver and five bronzes will put them in strong contention at this year’s SEA Games in Myanmar (Dec 11-22) as they seek their first SEA Games title since debuting at the Laos Games in 2009.

Singapore’s 11-member contingent eventually finished second out of six countries behind table toppers Vietnam, who claimed a total of 16 gold medals.

Hit by a bout of goose bumps as Majulah Singapura reverberated around the Thein Phyu Sports Complex, Singaporean wrestlers Kong and Lalwani savoured their achievement.

“Winning two golds this time was quite a shock for me and it’s only sinking in now,” said Kong, a 29-year-old business development executive, who won the Men’s freestyle 96kg and Greco-Roman 96kg categories.

“I’ve never done anything for Singapore so winning this and getting to sing the national anthem was a first for me. I felt very proud.

“I’ve a good medal chance at the SEA Games and will try my best to win the gold. It means a lot for the sport to be able to do well in an international event.”

For former national boxer Lalwani, who claimed gold and silver in the Men’s freestyle 120kg and Greco-Roman respectively, his debut at the Myanmar SEA Games will be a long-awaited one if he is selected by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).

The 33-year-old — who is also active in mixed martial arts — did not compete at the regional Games during his six-year stint with the national team (2000-2006) as the Singapore Amateur Boxing Association was de-affiliated from the SNOC in 2001.

Instead, he coached the national team in 2009 and 2011, and trained 55 medal winners in local and international competitions.

“Vietnam is one of the best teams in the region, and other countries like Thailand, Myanmar and Philippines will also be strong,” said Lalwani, who is the Managing Director of Juggernaut Fight Club.

“This SEA Games will be different for me as I was planning to go as a boxing coach if my athlete makes it to the SEA Games. But it looks like I could be a competitor so that will be a first!”

The historic result comes after the sport’s funding from the Singapore Sports Council for the new fiscal year 2013-14 dropped to S$45,000 from a maximum of S$199,000 for the previous fiscal year.

As a result, the athletes had to fork out about S$800 each to compete at this Pre-SEA Games meet.

The WFS are targeting four medals, including a gold, at this year’s SEA Games, and WFS President Bernard Chin said: “I am hopeful for Myanmar … for them to perform this well now is a great motivator as our athletes have now tasted confidence and victory.”

Axiata Cup 2013

Results/Winners

Champion: Malaysia

Runner Up: Thailand

3rd place: Asia (India/China/Hongkong/South Korea/Chinese Taipei)

4th place: Indonesia



(0Other Participants according to points)

5th : Europe (England/Ireland/Spain/Russia

6th: Singapore

7th: Vietnam

8th: Philippines


Preliminary Round 1

March 21 @ DBL Arena, Surabaya

     Indonesia 4 - 0 Vietnam 

     Europe 1 - 3 Singapore

     Malaysia 4 - 0 Philippines

     Asia 1 - 3 Thailand 

March 22 @  DBL Arena, Surabaya

      Indonesia 4 - 0 Singapore

      Asia 4 - 0 Philippnes

      Malaysia 2 - 2 Thailand

      Europe 3 - 1 Vietnam

March 23 @  DBL Arena, Surabaya

      Indonesia 2 - 2 Malaysia

      Philippines 1 - 3 Vietnam

      Asia 1 - 3 Europe

      Singapore 0 - 4 Thailand

March 24 @  DBL Arena, Surabaya

      Asia 2 - 2 Indonesia

     Thailand 4 - 0 Vietnam

     Europe 1 - 3 Malaysia

     Philippines 1 - 3 Singapore

 

 Preliminary Round 2

March 29 @  DBL Arena, Surabaya & Stadium Badminton Cheras, KL

     Indonesia 3 - 1 Thailand

     Vietnam 1 - 3 Asia

     Philippines 0 - 4 Europe

     Malaysia 3 - 1 Singapore

March 30 @  DBL Arena, Surabaya & Stadium Badminton Cheras, KL

     Indonesia 4 - 0 Philippines

     Singapore 0 - 4 Asia

     Europe 1 - 3 Thailand

     Malaysia 4 - 0 Singapore

March 31 @  DBL Arena, Surabaya & Stadium Badminton Cheras, KL

     Indonesia 3 - 1 Europe

     Malaysia 3 - 1 Asia

     Philippines 0 - 4 Thailand

     Vietnam 0 - 4 Singapore

 

Semi-Finals @ Stadium Badminton Cheras, KL

     Malaysia 3 - 0 Asia

     Indonesia 0 - 3 Thailand  

 

For 3rd Place @ Stadium Badminton Cheras, KL

Asia 3 - 1 Indonesia

 

Finals @ Stadium Badminton Cheras, KL

Malaysia 3 - 1 Thailand

 

 

Athletes from Burma to Train in China ahead of SEA Games

Source: Irrawady

Eleven athletes from Burma left Rangoon for China on Wednesday, reported the Indo-Asian News Service, the first among 176 athletes, officials and coaches that will train for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in neighboring China. 

Under a cooperative agreement, the arrangement is aimed at improving Burma’s competitiveness in the biannual event. The 11 athletes will spend three months in China, and the full program will conclude in October. Burma is set to host the SEA Games in Naypyidaw, Rangoon, Mandalay and Ngwesaung beach from Dec. 11-22.

RI girls' trio whirl and twirl way to clean sweep

Source: The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - The first day of the Schools National Rhythmic Gymnastics championships saw a brouhaha over the venue.

Last Friday, however, the focus was on three girls: Cecilia Chia, 18, Phaan Yi Lin, 18 and Daphne Chia, 17.

The trio from Raffles Institution swept their category and won all medals that were up for grabs in the A Division.

Daphne was awarded the overall gold after wins in the hoop (joint winner), clubs and ribbon events and a silver in the ball category.

Yi Lin came in a close second with two golds (hoop and ball) and two silvers (clubs and ribbon), as well as the overall silver. Cecilia won five bronzes - in all four apparatus and for finishing overall third.

Said their teacher-in-charge Tan Kwok Wai: "I'm very happy that they finished the competition injury-free and achieved such wonderful results."

Even though the three girls were in a class of their own, they still felt that the experience was one to remember.

"Every competition is exciting. And this one holds extra significance for me because it's probably going to be my last one," said Cecilia, who is not related to Daphne.

Cecilia, who competed in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games with Yi Lin, plans to take an indefinite hiatus from the sport to concentrate on her studies after the competition.

But Yi Lin and Daphne have no plans to quit the sport any time soon. The two national gymnasts are setting their sights on the 2015 SEA Games which Singapore will host.

Said Daphne: "2015 is still pretty far away and we're still not sure what the qualification process will be like. But the SEA Games is definitely one of our main goals."

Yi Lin concurred, stating that overseas meets are usually the highlight of their gymnastic careers. She cited her participation at the 2011 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup as one of her fondest memories in the sport.

"It was a great experience, a real eye-opener for me. The venues are top-notch and you get to learn from the best in the world," said Yi Lin.

But she knows that enjoyment is but one aspect of such meets. She is well aware that gaining competition experience and qualifying for regional meets such as the SEA Games are still at the top of the agenda.

She added: "The more you compete, the more you'll be able to hold your nerve when it counts."

SEA GAMES 2013: Salary Set for Indonesia Squad

Source: www.aseanfootball.org

 

JAKARTA (12 April 2013) – The Indonesian Ministry for Youth and Sports have set the salary scale for the Under-23 squad as they gear up for the SEA Games 2013 at the end of the year.

Each player will receive IDR 7 million (USD 722), coach IDR 7.5 juta (USD 773), and assistant coach IDR 6.5 million (USD 670) per month. This was agreed upon by Satlak Prima (Indonesian Athletes Excellence Programme).

“The money will be transmitted directly into their account without any deductions,” said Edi Nurinda Susila, the Indonesia U23 team manager.

The team is under Rahmad Darmawan and where he is assisted by Aji Santoso. A total of 70 players will be called up for centralized training next month.

Harimau Muda Must Defend Gold Medal – Sultan Ahmad

Source: www.aseanfootball.org

 

KUALA LUMPUR (12 April 2013) – The intention was clear and Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, the president of the FA of Malaysia (FAM), said in no uncertain terms this week that the Harimau Muda squad must deliver the SEA Games gold medal at the end of the year.

Speaking after the FAM Exco meeting Sultan Ahmad, who is also the president of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) added that the disappointment of being unable to defend the AFF Suzuki Cup crown last year meant that there is added pressure on Ong Kim Swee’s Under-23 team to deliver the third gold medal in a row in men’s football.

“The truth is that we cannot hide the disappointment in the senior team in their inability to defend the AFF Suzuki 2012,” said Sultan Ahmad (pix). “After the euphoria of 2010 (when Malaysia won the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time), we are back to reality.

“Defending the crown is not easy but it should not be used as an excuse. I have said on numerous occasions that the performance of the national team is the yardstick to the performance of the FAM. We cannot run away from this fact.

“So I hope that the Harimau Muda squad can defend the SEA Games crown in Myanmar to make up for our disappointment (at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012) and return the sense of confidence back to the fans.”

The Harimau Muda team under Kim Swee is currently in Europe for training and matches.

Dentsu to drive sponsorships for 27th SEA Games – Myanmar 2013

Source: http://www.campaignasia.com

BOXING: MABF looks to Russia for coach

Source: New Straits Times

AFTER bringing Sapok Biki on board recently, the Malaysian Amateur Boxing Federation (MABF) is now looking to Russia to complete its lineup of coaches to help prepare the national team for successful outings at December's Myanmar Sea Games and Glasgow Commonwealth Games next year.

MABF honorary secretary Mohd Jani Ismail said the national body had shortlisted a number of potential candidates from Russia and will be making a final decision at the management meeting in a fortnight's time.

"Russia and its neighbouring countries have a lot to offer in terms of Olympic boxing with a long list of successful boxers and coaches," said Mohd Jani.

"We have had a coach from Kyrgyzstan and that worked well for us. The new coach will work with our Thai coach Prasit Tungjai.

"The National Sports Council has already approved our needs and we will look to bring him in as soon as we can.

"We had to delay the (management) meeting for a few weeks due to the General Election but it will be held by the end of the month."

Kalen Asanov of Kyrgyzstan, a former Russian state, had coached the national team from 2001 to 2008.

Under his guidance, Malaysia broke a 12-year gold medal drought in the Sea Games where they won two titles in Kuala Lumpur in 2001, courtesy of Adnan Yusoh and Mohamad Zainuddin Sidi.

Mohd Jani, however, added that Prasit's contract, which runs till the end of this year, may not be renewed. Prasit has been coaching the national team with former coach RamliYahya since 2010.

"We will be reviewing Prasit's performance and making the decision on whether to renew his contract.

"However, he will stay until the Sea Games."

Indonesian Cyclists Send an Early Warning for Southeast Asian Games

Source: Jakarta Globe

Indonesian cyclists have sent an early warning to their competitors that cross country mountain bike gold medals at this year’s Southeast Asian Games are in their grasp.

Kusmawati Yazid and Chandra Rafsanjani won a pre-SEA Games competition in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on March 27, signaling Indonesia’s impending domination in the event.

At the 2011 SEA Games, Indonesia won three of four gold medals in the mountain bike event. Chandra won the men’s cross country while Pornomo and Risa Suseanty won the men’s and women’s downhill events respectively.

However, gold in the women’s cross country slipped from Indonesia’s grasp, with Kusmawati taking bronze in a race shortened due to bad weather. Dinh Thi Nhu Quynh of Vietnam won gold and Malaysia’s Masziyaton Mohd Radzi won silver.

Despite welcome the result in Myanmar, head coach Oki Respati said it served as a warning to be better prepared to remain at the top. “With the result, I can say that we’re one step ahead of our competitors. But we have to work harder to retain our position as other countries will try to chase us,” Oki said on Tuesday.

Kusmawati clocked a time of one minute 18.22 seconds in the event, followed by Masziyaton and Thailand’s Jutamas Wongpadklang.

The result boosts her as favorite for the upcoming Games, to be held in Myanmar in December, though she played down a possible domination.

“We have to be on guard as the SEA Games winner Dinh didn’t compete in the event. I expect to race her at the Asian Cycling Championship in China next month when we can form a real picture of our competitors,” Kusmawati said.

Oki said the regional championship will be a key factor ahead of SEA Games competition. “The event will be a benchmark for all SEA Games competitors. We have to put in our best effort to get better positions as the championship result will determine starting position in the Games,” he said.

Before taking up a challenge in the regional championship, the team will have a warm-up event when it competes in the Sinar Mas Land-JPG MTB XC Open Championship at Bumi Serpong Damai in South Tangerang this weekend.

Noraseela eyeing third consecutive SEA Games gold

Source: Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 - National women's 400m hurdler Noraseela Khalid hopes to win her third consecutive SEA Games gold medal and her fourth in the games, at the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games in December.

The 33-year-old hurdler who is under the tutelage of South African coach Hennie Kriel remains confident of defending her gold medal that she had won at the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia and adding on to the 2009 Laos SEA Games gold, despite not having fully recovered from a heel injury.

She had won her first SEA Games gold medal in the 2003 Vietnam SEA Games.

"I am now concentrating on improving my fitness and striding exercises because I have not been training for a long time," she told Bernama, today.

Noraseela said she would undergo training at the National Sports Council (NSC) mini stadium in Bukit Jalil before leaving to South Africa, pending an approval from the Malaysian Athletic Union (MAU).

In Laos, Noraseela set a time of 56.99s to win the gold and 57.41s in Indonesia although she has a personal best time 56.02s which is also the National record that she had set in Regensburg, Germany in 2006.

Noraseela who works in the Royal Malaysian Navy has to surpass the SEA Games qualifying mark of 58.09s set by the Olympic Council of Malaysia.KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- National women's 400m hurdler Noraseela Khalid hopes to win her third consecutive SEA Games gold medal and her fourth in the games, at the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games in December.

The 33-year-old hurdler who is under the tutelage of South African coach Hennie Kriel remains confident of defending her gold medal that she had won at the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia and adding on to the 2009 Laos SEA Games gold, despite not having fully recovered from a heel injury.

She had won her first SEA Games gold medal in the 2003 Vietnam SEA Games.

"I am now concentrating on improving my fitness and striding exercises because I have not been training for a long time," she told Bernama, today.

Noraseela said she would undergo training at the National Sports Council (NSC) mini stadium in Bukit Jalil before leaving to South Africa, pending an approval from the Malaysian Athletic Union (MAU).

In Laos, Noraseela set a time of 56.99s to win the gold and 57.41s in Indonesia although she has a personal best time 56.02s which is also the National record that she had set in Regensburg, Germany in 2006.

Noraseela who works in the Royal Malaysian Navy has to surpass the SEA Games qualifying mark of 58.09s set by the Olympic Council of Malaysia.

BOXING: Sapok punch for national squad

Source: New Straits Times

Sarawak’s Sapok Biki celebrates on the podium with the gold medal he won in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

INSPIRATIONAL: Commonwealth Games gold medallist to coach team for Sea Games

THE likes of Mohd Farkhan Mohd Haron and Fairuz Azwan Abdullah will have a highly inspirational figure to look up to as they prepare for the Sea Games this year with the Malaysian Amateur Boxing Federation (MABF) having confirmed  it will be hiring Sapok Biki as one of the national coaches.  

MABF honorary secretary Mohd Jani Ismail said he saw the decision to sign Sapok, which was made during the MABF annual general meeting recently, as a big boost for the national team who are set to face two major tournaments, the Myanmar Sea Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The former Commonwealth Games gold medallist will take charge of the elite boxers alongside Thai coach Prasit Tungjai.

Sapok is a replacement for outgoing coach Ramli Yahya who recently returned to coaching the Perak state team.

"Captain Sapok is currently serving with the army in Ops Daulat in Lahad Datu but we will arrange to have him come here and start coaching the team as soon as possible," said Mohd Jani.

"The decision to hire Sapok was not a difficult one as he has the right coaching qualifications and also has a wealth of experience in the sport.

"He has trained and competed in numerous tournaments abroad which includes the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta and has also won a Commonwealth (Games) gold.

"I am sure he will also be a good teacher and role model for our boxers as I believe they will be able to relate to his experiences."

Mohd Jani added that the federation will likely hire another foreign coach in the near future.

"The National Sports Council has given the allocation for us to have two foreign coaches and we will look to add another (foreign) coach in addition to Prasit.

"I do not want to reveal any names yet as the final decision will be made at our management meeting within the next few weeks."

The AGM also saw the Felda Boxing Association being officially accepted as an affiliate member of the MABF.

This will allow Felda to compete in state competitions in the future.

Lim has what it takes to grab Nanjing gold

Source: The Star

Good times: Lim Ching Hwang’s impressive times has made him a serious contender at the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing.

PETALING JAYA: Precocious teenager Lim Ching Hwang is fast for his age and has the potential to make a big splash for Malaysia when he competes in the Asian Youth Games (AYG) in Nanjing from Aug 16-24.

The 17-year-old swimmer has emerged fastest in the country for the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle from the recent Singapore national age-group meet.

And if he can show his performances are not flukes, Ching Hwang, who trains and studies in Singapore, has a big possibility of making history as the first Malaysian to win a medal in the pool at the AYG.

The Games is held every four years involving Olympic sports and Singapore hosted the inaugural meet in 2009.

National swimming coach Paul Birmingham felt Ching Hwang’s times of 50.87 for the 100m freestyle and 1:50.42 for the 200m freestyle makes him a serious medal contender.

For comparison, Ching Hwang’s time for the 100m freestyle is already faster than the silver medal effort of 51.28 from the previous AYG in Singapore, with the winner timed at 50.48.

His time for the 200m freestyle (1:50.42) is much faster than the gold medal winning time of 1:52.22.

“He is a talented kid. It takes a few years for him to develop and now he is turning out strong for his age,” said Birmingham.

“Ching Hwang will be very competitive for a medal, especially in 200m freestyle, when he swims in Nanjing. I hope he will also do well at the World Junior Championships in Dubai from Aug 26-31).

“But it depends on him and whether he is ready to swim in back-to-back meets.”

It was not surprising that Ching Hwang, who romped to four golds for Selangor at the Kuantan Sukma last year, was named the best male swimmer for the Singapore Sports School last year.

His timings in Singapore gave him early qualifications for the World Championships in Barcelona in July (for men’s 200m freestyle) as well as for the Myanmar SEA Games (100m and 200m freestyle).

The qualifying marks for the SEA Games in December are based on the silver medal timings in Indonesia two years ago – 50.98 for the 100m freestyle and 1:52.23 for the 200m freestyle.

Interestingly, his personal bests for 100m and 200m freestyle are not far off the national records currently held by Daniel Bego.

Daniel clocked 50.16 and 1:49.22 when he took gold for both races at the Laos SEA Games back in 2009 while wearing the hi-tech swimming suit, which has since been banned.

Indonesian Athletics Team having Difficulty

Board of Athletics Association of Indonesia (PB PASI) is still having difficulty to gather athletes who will compose the national team to prepare at the coming 27th SEA Games 2013. Currently, training camps (pelatnas) for SEA Games is already running in several places such as in Surabaya, Kediri, Bali, and Jakarta.

"It has not been all together because there are still constrained granting dispensation from the athletes in question works," said Vice Chairman of Development Achievement PB PASI Paul Lay, in Jakarta, as reported by Reuters.

Paul declared, PB PASI tried calling first the SEA Games athletes. However, the work force of the athletes are still asking these dispendasi. "It (the call to athletes) would live out the warrant," he said.

However, Paul was not too bothered by these problems because training (Pelatnas) team must remain focused on achievement in the biennial sports event.

According to him, the team of PB PASI frequently visits the area to keep the spirit of the athletes and coaches in the face of the SEA Games in December 2013. ("Target togethers after the National Youth and Junior Championships in 2013 and awaiting orders Satlak Prima," he said.)

According to him, Indonesia national team wary of the power of Thailand and Vietnam at SEA Games for the two countries could be the "dark horse" that harm.

Paul says that the team will focus on fighting for medals in 46 events.

Besides, according to him, the track team also plans to bring a foreign coach for javelin and hammer throwing. It is to boost the athlete's performance in the field of athletic achievement. "It should be` double `axle, take knowledge from a foreign coach at the helm. However, medium and long-distance running is no problem," he said.

27th SEA Games set to be held in December 2013 in Myanmar to fight for 33 sports.

The first category are those included in the Charter of the Federation of SEA Games 2006, namely athletics (46 numbers) and aquatic (41 numbers, including swimming, diving and water polo).

Then, the second category which is the sport of the Olympic Games and Asian Games, the archery, badminton, basketball, billiards and snoker, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, football, golf, hockey, judo, karate, rowing, sepak takraw , shooting, sailing, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.

Furthermore, in third category which are traditional sports are kempo, muay thai, martial arts, pentanque, chess, vovinam, traditional boat racing, and bodybuilding.

Sports like gymnastics, tennis, and fight degrees, which previously sought by KOI to participate successfully competed not registered. 

2013 Asian Cycling Championships

Location: New Delhi, India

Date: 7th - 17th March 2013


Results/Winners

Men's Individual road race
Gold - Muradjan Khalmuratov (Uzbekistan)
Silver - Arvin Moazzami (Iran )
Bronze - Andrey Mizurov (Kazakhstan)

Men's Individual time trial
Gold - Muradjan Khalmuratov (Uzbekistan)
Silver - Andrey Mizurov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Eugen Wacker (Kyrgyzstan)

Women's Individual road race
Gold - Hsiao Mei-yu (Chinese Taipei)
Silver -  Liu Xiaohui (China)
Bronze - Zhao Na (China )

Women's Individual time trial
Gold - Tüvshinjargalyn Enkhjargal (Mongolia)
Silver - Minami Uwano (Japan)
Bronze - Jamie Wong (Hong Kong)

Men's Sprint
Gold - Josiah Ng (Malaysia)
Silver - Hassan Ali Varposhti (Iran )
Bronze - Choi Lae-Seon (South Korea)

Men's Time trial
Gold - Jun Won-Gu (South Korea)
Silver - Kenta Inake (Japan )
Bronze - Hsiao Shih-hsin (Chinese Taipei)

Men's Keirin
Gold - Josiah Ng (Malaysia)
Silver - Mahmoud Parash (Iran)
Bronze - Jun Won-Gu (South Korea)

Men's Individual pursuit (4 km)
Gold - Jang Sun-Jae (South Korea)
Silver - Dias Omirzakov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Alireza Haghi (Iran)

Men's Points race (30 km)
Gold - Cho Ho-Sung (South Korea)
Silver - Choi Ki Ho (Hong Kong)
Bronze - Mohammad Rajabloo (Iran)

Men's Scratch (15 km)
Gold - Cho Ho-Sung (South Korea)
Silver - Hossein Nateghi (Iran)
Bronze - Liu Chih-feng (Chinese Taipei)

Men's Omnium
Gold - Artyom Zakharov (Kazakhstan)
Silver -  Shan Shuang (China)
Bronze - Kazushige Kuboki (Japan)

Men's Madison (25 km)
Gold - Hong Kong (Choi Ki Ho & Kwok Ho Ting)
Silver - South Korea (Choi Seung-Woo & Jang Sun-Jae)
Bronze - Iran (Alireza Haghi & Mohammad Rajabloo)

Men's Team sprint
Gold - China (Hu Ke, Tang Qi & Xu Chao)
Silver - Malaysia (Arfy Qhairant Amran, Mohd Edrus Yunus & Farhan Amri Zaid)
Bronze - Japan (Kenta Inake, Takashi Sakamoto & Makuru Wada)

Men's Team pursuit (4 km)
Gold - South Korea (Jang Sun-Jae, Park Keon-Woo, Park Seon-Ho & Park Sung-Baek)
Silver - Japan (Eiya Hashimoto, Shogo Ichimaru, Kazuki Ito & Kazushige Kuboki)
Bronze - Hong Kong (Cheung King Lok, Choi Ki Ho, Kwok Ho Ting & Leung Chun Wing)

Women's Sprint
Gold - Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia)
Silver - Shi Jingjing (China )
Bronze -  Li Xuemei (China)

Women's Time trial (500 m)

Gold - Lee Wai Sze (Hong Kong)
Silver - Shi Jingjing (China)
Bronze - Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia)

Women's Keirin
Gold - Lee Wai Sze (Hong Kong)
Silver - Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia)
Bronze - Li Xuemei (China)

Women's Individual pursuit (3 km)
Gold - Kim Yu-Ri (South Korea)
Silver - Sakura Tsukagoshi (Japan)
Bronze - Li Jiujin (China)

Women's Points race (20 km)
Gold - Jamie Wong (Hong Kong)
Silver - Minami Uwano (Japan)
Bronze - Jupha Somnet (Malaysia)

Women's Scratch (Scratch 10 km)

Gold - Kim Eun-Hee (South Korea)
Silver - Tseng Hsiao-chia (Chinese Taipei )
Bronze - Gong Xingyu (China)

Women's Omnium
Gold - Hsiao Mei-yu (Chinese Taipei)
Silver -  Lee Min-Hye (South Korea)
Bronze - Minami Uwano (Japan)

Women's Team sprint
Gold - China (Li Xuemei & Shi Jingjing)
Silver - Japan (Kanako Kase & Ryoko Nakagawa)
Bronze - South Korea (Hong Hyeon-Ji & Lee Hye-Jin)

Women's Team pursuit (4 km)
Gold - South Korea (Kim Eun-Hee, Kim Yu-Ri, Lee Min-Hye & Son Hee-Jung)
Silver - Japan (Kanako Kase, Yoko Kojima, Sakura Tsukagoshi & Minami Uwano)
Bronze - China (Gong Xingyu, Li Jiujin, Sha Hui & Zhang Li)

Vietnam's Diet before SEA Games

Source: unknown

Every SEA Games, the Sports industry promised to apply the special food to improve nutrition and create conditions for the athletes to have the best preparation before the conquest of the "gold" in the battle arena. Unfortunately, though always determine the necessity of adjusting the diet, dietary supplements, but almost every SEA Games also fell into the "water to new foot jump" by limited funding.

Deputy General Director of the General Department of Physical Training and Sports (Sports) Lam Quang Thanh affirmed: "Vietnam Sports will have a breakthrough in 2013. The first time the national team will be applied eight scientific solutions, including professional, management, medicine, biology, nutrition, recovery, educational psychology, information technology. The sector will practice three policy proposals for athletes, including specific policy, nutrition and reward. "

These are changes that the coach and  athletes celebrate whispered, but in fact, all still just a plan. Currently, the daily meals of the coaches, players of the national team receive 200 thousand VND / person. This amount shall be adjusted from the date of 1/6/2011, after years of application of the amount of 120 thousand VND / day.

Remember in the previous SEA Games, Sport General has proposed to increase meals to 350,000 VND / person / day for 3 months to prepare for SEA Games athletes, but it was not until last month before the SEA Games take place. will be applied advantage.

Nutrition plays an important role in improving the performance of the athletes. 

An official of the General Department of Sports, said: "This year Sport General has proposed to increase food, as well as a supplement for athletes early. However I must admit that in the context of the difficulties, the government is urged to curb inflation, tightening spending, the Sports industry is no exception. So, the proposal will likely be slower than expected in the sport sector. I think, the amount of food to 200,000 VND / person / day is now acceptable. "

Proposed to increase food and dietary supplements based on the actual calculation has been explored in three sports centers across the country. Proposals like that but if approved by the Ministry of Finance or not is another story.  

In fact, the operating budget of the sport this year has increased significantly over the last year. However, this budget is mainly for the team competition, training abroad. If this year is adjusted, Sports industry according to calculations by the managers, will soon amount to 350 thousand VND / day if applied to about 800 - 900 coaches and athletes participating in the SEA Games this year.

 

"Up until this point, we only plan to submit to the Ministry of Finance to increase the diet for the coaches and athletes approved but never, never can know," General Sports officials said.

With the coaches and athletes for the SEA Games this year soon identified, it will be subjected to the late special diet. All too familiar with applicable only about 1-2 months before the General Assembly. It is worth mentioning by the leading sports experts, enhancing nutrition for athletes have done in a long time, according to a reasonable schedule to complement the process of accumulation, to help work more effective workout.

Still more, spend tens of billion campaign to improve the quality is not easy, but if to look at SEA Games started online, special meals is applied, not only have no effect, but excitement in the training of the athletes also greatly reduced

Indonesian Archery ready for Overall Championship

Reference/Source: Metrotvnews.com

Photo courtesy of Metrotvnews

Archery is determined to win four gold medals in the 27th SEA Games to be held in Myanmar in December.

According to the Chairman of the Executive Performance Coaching Archery Association of Indonesia (PP Perpani) I Gusti Nyoman Budiana, the target is to win at least 4 gold medals at the SEA Games in Myanmar and at the same time established as the overall winner.

"Our target is to be the overall champion again. From 2007 until the SEA Games last December, we always come out as the overall winner," he said.

As it is known at the last SEA Games, Indonesia managed to come out as the overall winner with archery won four gold medals out of 10 contested.

The gold medalist athletes were Erwina Safitri in the individual recurve women and I Gusti Nyoman Puruhito (Individual Compound's Men).

The two other gold were donated by Erwina Safitri, Kusumawardhani and Novia Nuraini in women's recurve team and athletes Erwina Safitri with Ega Agata Salsabila in the recurve mixed.

To establish a step in the SEA Games in Myanmar, archery athletes are now doing national training camp (Pelatnas) in Jakarta. The (Pelatnas) archery training has been going since December.

A total of 26 athletes from the earlier 32 people. And from 32 will be down to 16 athletes who will be dispatched to Myanmar.

Referring to the results at the Champions tryout Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand last March 9-15 where Indonesian archery athletes took home 2 gold and 2 bronze, Budiana is very optimistic that overall championship title in the SEA Games Myanmar is very possible.

"If you look at the number of participants from 26 countries including Japan, China, India, and so, yes, we are optimistic that we can repeat as the overall winner again," he said.

Two gold was won from the number of individual recurve women and compound individual women.

The success of the team showed that the development of archery Indonesia is getting better.

However, Budiana continued , success and optimism is always be supported by ongoing coaching and completeness of the equipment. He admitted that the existing equipment is now a 'legacy' SEA Games last year.

"It must also has (supported by) an allowance," he said. (Haufan Hashim Salengke)

7 Table Tennis Athletes Signed for Training

Source: Tribun News

Christine Ferliana

 

A total of seven native Java table tennis athletes enter training camp (Pelatnas) for SEA Games 2013 in Myanmar.

 

Seven Java table tennis players with the right to experience the training camp are Gilang Maulana, Ficky ​​Supit, Dahlan Haruri for the male while the female athletes are Christine Ferliana, Silir Rofani, Noor Azizah and Widiya.

 

Ficky ​​Supit and Christine who are the holders of the highest ranking in Southeast Asia for players from Indonesia, did not participated in the national selection (Seleknas) in Jakarta last 17-20 February.

 

"Ficky ​​and Christine did not come in the selection process (seleknas). Both have held automatic ticket to the training camp (Pelatnas) for SEA Games as ranking highest in Southeast Asia," said Chairman Pengprov Table Tennis Association of Indonesia (PTMSI) Marzuki Rofi'I East Java.

 

According to Marzuki, the presence of the two will help boost the confidence of other athletes for the upcoming SEA Games in Myanmar.

 

If Ficky ​​and Christine did not participate, Indonesia's chances will be difficult. They will face the strongest team which is Singapore players in the early rounds. But, if Ficky ​​and Christin will be in the competition and will be seeded players, certainly the opponents in the first round will be light and snatching a medal is very possible.

U16 Hockey Boys Asia Cup 2013

Location: Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre, Singapore

Date: 4th - 7th April 2013

 

Winners/Results

1st- Pakistan

2nd- Bangladesh

3rd- Malaysia

4th- Japan 

5th- Chinese Taipei

6th- Korea

7th- Singapore

8th- China

9th- Sri Lanka

10th- Kazakhstan

 

Awards:

Top Scorer Award: Muhammad Atiq (Pakistan)

Best Goal Keeper Award: Ammad Fahmi (Malaysia)

Best Player Award: Ashraful Islam (Bangladesh)

The truth is: Speak no evil, see no evil

Source: The Star/Football

Comment: By ERIC SAMUEL -  THE message is loud and clear – Datuk K. Rajagopal’s days as national coach are numbered.

The writing was on the wall even before he received the official letter from the FA of Malaysia (FAM) to answer to a charge of disobeying the governing body’s instructions.

All Rajagopal said was that the M-League lacked quality strikers due to the presence of foreign professionals. How that can be construed as disobedience is beyond me.

National Under-23 coach Ong Kim Swee had commented that he preferred not to let his team play in the S-League or the M-League because his boys would not be able to get high-intensity matches from either league.

Instead, he has taken them to Europe to play friendlies against club sides in Hungary and Slovakia where, he says, they can get high-intensity matches.

Now, isn’t he discrediting the local league? Why wasn’t action taken against him, then?

Could there be more sinister agenda in trying to hang Rajagopal out to dry in public?

Speculation is already rife that enquiries had been made on the the availability of former Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic to take over the hot seat from Rajagopal.

If true, then this is indeed a sad way to treat a man who has transformed Malaysian football’s fortunes in the last few years, leading the then national Under-23 squad to the gold medal in the Laos SEA Games in 2009. It was Malaysia’s first SEA Games gold medal after 20 years.

The whole nation rejoiced over the success.

But there was more to come. The following year, Malaysia won the AFF Suzuki Cup after 14 years – leading the Prime Minister to even declare a public holiday.

Kids are now wearing the national jersey with pride and the crowds are packing the stadium once more to support the national team.

Of course, the national team are no world beaters … yet. Let’s not expect them to qualify for the Olympics or the World Cup any time soon. Even success in the Asian Games is still a distant dream, although we’ve managed two bronze medals (1962 Jakarta, 1974 Teheran).

Yes, we’ve been struggling in the Asian region for the last four decades – that’s 40 years!

Even former national coach Chow Kwai Lam said that even if FAM were to hire the best coach in the world, Malaysia’s FIFA ranking will not improve from their current No. 164.

He laid the blame squarely on the people running the FAM – the affiliates.

Everyone knows what ails FAM. But what happens when one speaks up or out?

That was exactly what Rajagopal did – and he did in the best interest of the game.

Yet, his statement of truth riled the people holding power in the FAM.

And now he’s in the dock, having to answer to the powers-that-be why he disobeyed FAM’s instructions.

So, does that mean Rajagopal – and everyone else – should just shut up and let FAM destroy Malaysian football?

Former national coach B. Sathianathan was also banned for his controversial “M-League is not football” comment.

He too spoke the truth. And he too was swiftly dealt with.

What Sathia said made sense. The Malaysia Super League (MSL) was classified as the 18th league in Asia – and given Grade D in the AFC Pro-League Ad-Hoc Committee Assessment Chart a few years back. That’s a fact. So, why don’t FAM haul up AFC, then?

FAM should stop spending so much time dealing with people who are speaking the truth and spend more time on getting Malaysian football out of the doldrums.

“Going up against runners with SEA Games experience, I relished the starting gun” – Goh Eng Wei of NUS

Source: Redsports

Ed’s note: Goh Eng Wei of the National University of Singapore is a 400-metre runner who was part of the Singapore team that took part in the ASEAN University Games held in Vientiane, Laos, in Dec. 2012. He ran in the 400m and 4x400m relay races. He shares with us a first-hand account of his experience.

The bi-annual 2012 ASEAN University Games was an eye-opening and humbling personal experience firmly etched in my memory. This was only my fourth instance representing our island nation at the international level.

The accommodation venue was amazing and comfortable, with Laos having played hosts to athletes in a SEA Games a few years before. Opportunities for international interaction were aplenty, with lively activities lined up each night during the meet duration to encourage an ASEAN regional spirit.

The 400-metre sprint itself is a mere round of the eight-lane track that is over in the blink of an eye. Once the gun goes, it is just about doing everything correctly at the right time as planned. Most of the work is done before the starting blocks, in the preparations on the warm up track, taking in the sight of fellow competitors and the managing the tense atmosphere of nerves and anticipation.

During my final warm up process right before the race, I found it really interesting how every one of my competitors was exuding a confident exterior that masked an underlying sense of nervousness. I found myself inadvertently glancing towards them periodically, and whenever eye contact was established, we mutually followed it up with a feeble smile of respectful acknowledgement. These minute interactions helped refocus my purpose, and made me pay extra attention to how my body was reacting with each stretch and drill I carried out with the sole aim of preparing my body for the imminent race. 

The call room is the penultimate venue where emotions and thoughts are magnified and heightened just before the race, with athletes in close proximity with each other, friendly exchanges of handshakes and smiles coupled with the occasional nervy glances across shoulders. The familiar call of tag numbers and lane allocations are part of the intricate build up process before the final walk to the blocks. 

Focus was necessary as utmost concentration is pivotal in visualizing my race at every stage, personal reminders on immaculate technique requirements and confidence, simply believing in my training and ability to rise to the occasion and perform. Nerves and creeping uncertainty are part and parcel of every pre-race, but it also showed how much the impending event really meant to me. 

Entering the call room conjured immense nerves within me and I found myself absorbed with self-visualizations, so much so that I failed to notice that two of my competitors had already taken their place beside the seat I distractedly plonked myself in moments before them. The smell of deep heat permeated the humid room filled with a flurry of activity as athletes registered with the local staff. It was at this moment that an overwhelming wave of calmness swept through me, removing the tense nervousness that had been dictating my thoughts and tentative behaviour for the past 30 minutes. It dawned on me that the much-anticipated race was going to happen in a moment and I was just raring to go and meet this challenge.

Different individuals practice differing pre-race rituals and I was no exception. After my customary friendly greetings with my competitors, I prefer to sit quietly for a moment or two to just visualize my race plan one final time before tuning back to reality and focusing on getting my mind active and ready for the moment. 

It’s always mind over matter, they said. Self-control and awareness, in my opinion, should always be first and foremost in an athlete’s preparations.

The individual 400m event conjured excitement and also a great deal of nerves during the preparation process. A sleepless night before the race aside, uncertainty with my fitness level after a bout of dengue plagued me constantly leading up to the Games. 

It was most unfortunate that I contracted the fever a mere month or so before the Games. I belittled the initial symptoms and cast off the illness as but a passing fever that possibly arose due to sleep deprivation amidst exam preparations. However, things got worse and I eventually was bedridden for a couple of days in the following week before recovering pretty swiftly. Chief among its afflictions was the irreparable damage to my sprint endurance as it essentially devastated my training efforts and cast my fitness back a couple of months. I felt momentarily dejected, but I wasn’t too fazed by it and worked hard to restore my fitness level as soon as possible after the bout of dengue.

Lining up and setting up my blocks, I repeatedly told myself to race without regrets. Going up against seasoned runners with SEA Games experience, I relished the starting gun to pit myself against these exponents. My personal best was 49.8 seconds set earlier in the year at the 2012 Perak Open, and my eventual time of 50.1s was personally a pretty decent performance despite failing to better my Perak performance. I do not attribute any blame to the illness but rather see it as an invaluable experience that will contribute to my race planning in future. I placed fifth and was roughly two seconds off the champion, Ariff Zulhimi Alet. The Malaysian won with a time of 48.16s and I personally thought that was a commendable feat for the 17-year-old Malaysian who was under intense competition from his compatriot Kannan and Thai rivals throughout the race.

In the 4x400m relay, I was raring to go for the team as the first runner. Having already cast aside edgy and jumpy emotions with my individual performance, the aim here was to attempt to establish an early lead and keep to my own race plan diligently with the team having drawn an outer lane. 

I started off with too quick a pace that resulted in a premature lactic buildup. I tried my best to discipline myself to finish off as strongly as possible so as not to disappoint my fellow teammate Lance Tan who was waiting at the incoming passing zone for me.

What many 400m runners feel during the last stretch in the final 100 straight is lactic agony and fatigued limbs seemingly unable to move any quicker. What every 400m runner must know is that every other competitor alongside you is experiencing the exact same thing.

The first 300m flew by quickly in my eagerness to match my Indonesian rival in the outer lane. My lack of race discipline saw me struggle with my pace for the last 100m and I was constantly reminding myself the need to stabilize my core and relax my shoulders. I eventually passed the baton to Lance somewhere between fourth and fifth place, and the rest of the race saw my teammates – Lance Tan, Lee Cheng Wei, Gary Yeo – keep pace with the pack. Anchor runner Gary Yeo made a last-minute attempt to race down the Laos team to place us fourth overall after Philippines were disqualified for passing zone violations. Indonesia led from start to finish, with Malaysia breathing down their necks all the way to the dip at the finishing line.

Personally, it was a decent race, clocking a timing (50.0s) that was pretty close to my personal best. This served as emotional fuel and I relish the chance to better myself in my next race. 

Participating in the 400m and 4x400m relay events was an invaluable and irreplaceable experience in my learning journey as an athlete. Meeting a field of talented individuals brimming with passion and hunger for success brought me to an elevated level of competition that supersedes our local scene. Such extensive exposure challenged me to break out of my previously entrenched boundaries and mindsets.