KUCHING: The Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) and the Kuching Badminton Association (KBA) will restart the remaining Sarawak Junior Badminton Circuit 2021 in August this year.
According to SSC chief Dr Ong Kong Swee, the said tournament will start off with Sibu on Aug 6 to Aug 7 and followed by Sarikei (Aug 13 to 14).
“All the other series will follow up after the two series in Sibu and Sarikei. These organisers will be given the licence to organise the tournament in their respective areas and participants can be from outside the areas.
“All the participants will be competing for the ranking points through the ‘rankedin.com’ platform that has been established since before the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Following this, he disclosed that the platform and link are accessible for registration now for the participants to register themselves by directly logging in to the rankedin.com platform.
Participants are required to pay a RM30 registration fee each and they will get a T-shirt, certificate, and shuttlecock after the competition.
“It is about time to see that our grassroots players are given the chance to participate and to enjoy this circuit.
“The main aim of this circuit is to identify new talents to be absorbed into the Centres of Excellence in Kuching, Sibu and Miri,” he said, adding that all junior players can play in this circuit, in line with the slogan ‘Now Every Junior Can Play’.
Touching on the tournament, Ong stated that the grand final for the 2022 season is scheduled for Dec 17 in Kuching as confirmed by the SSC.
The series, he added, are managed by KBA with the coordination of the local associations or clubs.
“The categories to be competed are Boys U15, U13 and U11, and Girls U15, U13, and U11 singles. The ranking points will be awarded to winners in their respective categories and will be recorded and carried in the rankedin.com.
“Just like the Badminton World Federation (with its many circuits and tournaments for elite international players to collect ranking points), we are organising this badminton circuit for the similar reason,” he explained.
In light of this, he expected that about 200 to 300 players throughout the state to take part in the entire circuit.
“As for the grand final, the top 20 or 15 badminton players in the state will battle against one another to be crowned as the best,” he said.
Meanwhile, SSC head of Sports Development Divisions Ahmad Rodzli stated that the SSC will be working closely with Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) and its affiliated clubs and associations to ensure that the circuit could help the badminton development in the State.
He added that the circuit or competition itself is a non-elimination event as participants will be playing the same number of matches whether he or she is the highest or the lowest ranked player.
“This gives everyone the opportunity to play against every player and enjoy their games according to their age groups.
“This type of tournament will make participants understand that winning or losing doesn’t matter when they can learn about their strengths and weaknesses from the matches they play against their many opponents,” he said, adding that the tournament will strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the Ministry of Health (MOH), National Security Council and the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to curb the COVID-19.
On another matter, Ong explained that the platform used is for the junior players to keep track of their performance and ranking in the state.
“With the ranking system, SSC and badminton associations will be able to identify elite players and focus on molding them to become potential national or world champions.
“Furthermore, it could also create a bigger base of elite players in the state. That is why we are assisting the SBA and all other badminton associations by focusing on the development of junior badminton players.
“These are the players who we should look forward to seeing them in badminton tournaments in five years’ time,” he said.
The said circuit is open to all including players who are not affiliated with any badminton club or association.
Participants may contact KBA representative Darren Teo Ming Hui at 0138107197 or SSC Badminton Development officer Nikram Shazran at 0198790624 for more info.
