Sarawak bowlers face ‘very strong’ rivals at 2026 Sukma

KUCHING (April 7): This year’s Malaysia Games (Sukma) campaign for the Sarawak Sukma tenpin bowling team will be more challenging due to a transition with players, said team manager Robert Lu Nam Min.

He revealed that most in the training squad are inexperienced following the departure of seniors.

“Most of our players are new and young. Many of our previous Sukma players have joined the national team and are no longer eligible,” he told Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) in a recent interview.

To meet the challenge, Lu said, the squad is adopting a data-driven approach alongside active competition exposure to prepare for Sukma 2026 in Selangor this August.

Currently, a decentralised training system is in place to allow athletes to train at different locations with close monitoring of their performances.

“We are now in a decentralised training phase but the main focus is on performance. We have about nine male and nine female players in the long list although it is not finalised yet,” he said.

The squad will be trimmed in stages before selection of the final six men and six women to represent Sarawak at the biennial Games.

Lu, who is also vice president of the Sarawak Amateur Tenpin Bowling Association (Abas), said selection will largely depend on performances in local and international tournaments as well as consistency through the monthly roll-off sessions.

“These monthly roll-off sessions are crucial. Coaches record data such as spare percentage and strike rate, which help us rank players accurately,” he explained.

As part of competition exposure, athletes in the long list are due to compete in several major tournaments from April to June, including the Thailand Open Tenpin Bowling Championships, Malaysian International Open, Singapore International Open and Kuala Lumpur International Open.

“These tournaments are important to assess not only performance but also technical aspects such as ball reaction, speed and lane conditions. Our technical coaches will work closely with players to fine-tune their equipment and approach,” he added.

Centralised training in Kuching is expected to begin after the competition phase, ahead of Sukma, scheduled to run for eight days starting Aug 15.

Tenpin bowling will offer 11 gold medals across singles, doubles, trios, team, masters and mixed doubles events.

Lu noted that Sarawak currently has limited representation in the national back-up squad compared to powerhouse states such as Selangor and Penang.

“We will be facing very strong teams. However, tenpin bowling has always been a team effort for us, and anything can happen,” he stressed.

While no specific medal target has been set, he indicated that the team is capable of winning at least four gold medals, along with several silvers and bronzes, to retain Sarawak’s overall title in the sport.

“To emerge as overall champions, we may also need other states to take medals off stronger teams. That will give us a better chance,” he added.

Beyond Sukma preparations, Abas continues to strengthen talent development through grassroots and coaching initiatives, including inter-school competitions and coaching courses for teachers.

“We will continue to focus on development and expanding the talent pool. In the end, everyone wants to win, but the most important thing is to stay focused on our own preparation and performance,” he said.