International bowling championships Sarawak youth field test

KUCHING, 12 September: The Sarawak International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships (SIOTBC) 2026 is an important field for the development of young talent as it brings together hundreds of local and international participants to test their skills in high-level competition.

Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, said the eighth edition of the tournament gave exposure to local athletes, especially young talent, to compete with participants from different countries.

"Acknowledgements from the International Bowling Federation (IBF), Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) and Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) are important to ensure that participants' performance is assessed through a recognised ranking system.

"This enables them to compare their achievements with other athletes internationally", he said while addressing SIOTBC 2026 here today.

He said the tournament also brought together participants from Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam along with Malaysian participants.

He said that the participation of athletes from different countries reflects the spirit of international sport as well as providing space for local participants to measure their ability in more competitive competition.

The tournament recorded 663 entries involving 121 participants in 3DU Division, 123 Classified Division, 135 Open Division, 103 Under-21 Division and 69 Challenge (Graded) Divisions.

Dr Sim said that the experience of participating in international competitions not only gives athletes an opportunity to improve their performance, but also opens up space for participants to get acquainted with Sarawak's culture, food and language.

"The promotion of this international tournament provides an important opportunity to strengthen the development of young talent as well as give exposure to local athletes to compete with participants from different countries", he said.