Bowling championship back after year-long hiatus with local participants only

KUALA LUMPUR – The 21st Storm Under-22 Junior All-Stars Bowling Championship 2021 is back after a one-year hiatus as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC)-sanctioned tournament is set to be held from December 11-20 at Sunway Pyramid.

However, this year’s edition will be held without the participation of international bowlers following the enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions by the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Sports Commissioner Office of Malaysia.

Sunway Mega Lanes executive director Foong Tak Meng said: “We are expecting around 380 bowlers to participate in this tournament, and to date, we already have close to 350 registrants.”

He added that they are excited at the prospect of finally being able to organise the tournament this year, especially after a testing period was conducted following the pandemic.

“We are thankful to MTBC for allowing us to push the eligible age limit (from 21 to 22 years old) to enable more bowlers to participate. We are also grateful to the state teams, especially the ones preparing for the Sukma Games next year, for competing in the tournament,” he added.

Tak Meng said this tournament will help to foster and promote goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship amongst the youth bowling fraternity.

“I am happy albeit a little nervous because it has been two years since the last tournament was held, but I believe it would be fair play for all considering the fact that everyone started training around the same time,” said 2019 defending champion Ahmad Azriq Izamudin.

Meanwhile, national bowler Tun Ameerul Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam said: “Although our pace still needs to catch up with that of the tournament – since we were not allowed to train during the lockdown − right now, the most important thing is to ensure that all of us abide by the SOPs for the sake of our collective safety.”

Ameerul recently competed in the International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Championships in Dubai last month and had won the bronze medal in the men’s team category.

Apart from the established categories – open and graded, under-15 and under-12 – players below 25 years, such as national bowler Nor Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, will now be able to compete against Sukma athletes in this year’s newly introduced Gen Z Challenge category.

“As this is one of the biggest events in the country, it’s going to be a good experience and I’m glad to see other state bowlers in the tournament as well,” she added.

Tak Meng, who spoke to the media after he was presented with a mock cheque by sponsors of the championship, said that participants will be playing to win a total cash prize of more than RM100,000.

When speaking about the SOPs currently in place, he added that only a limited number of fully vaccinated spectators will be in attendance and that the bowlers will be required to take RTK saliva tests before the tournament begins.

The venue will also be vacated during oiling and sanitisation works. – The Vibes, December 7, 2021