KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 21 countries have confirmed participation in the 2024 Sepak Takraw World Cup, which will take place at Titiwangsa Stadium here from May 18 to 26.
This was confirmed by Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) president, Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan, who said that they have received official letters from 12 teams set to compete in the Premier category and nine teams for the Division 1 category in this prestigious championship.
“For the Premier category, we have 12 countries, namely Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Japan, China, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, for Division 1, we have nine countries, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, France, Iran, Taiwan, Nepal, Pakistan, Germany, and Bangladesh,“ he said at a press conference at Titiwangsa Stadium today.
Mohd Sumali added that the decision on the participation of the 21 countries is final and there will be no additional teams in the future.
He said that PSM will hold the tournament’s opening ceremony along with the draw ceremony on March 6 at the Tun Dr Ismail Hall in the World Trade Centre (WTC) here.
“We’ve decided to conduct the draw earlier than before. This time, we discussed and requested from the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) so that countries are aware of their groups and can make early preparations,“ he said.
Elaborating further, Mohd Sumali mentioned that this edition of the World Cup will witness the Premier category featuring team events with special trophies, in addition to the doubles and regu events also being contested in this category.
“For Division 1, only the doubles and regu events will be contested, there will be no team event,“ he said.
Commenting on the national squad’s preparations for the prestigious cup, Mohd Sumali stated that the national team will be sent to Bangkok, for two weeks to undergo early warm-up action in early May.
He added that the Thai squad will then join the national team’s training in Kuala Lumpur here as sparring partners before the tournament begins. – Bernama
