Sarawak sends 21 shuttlers for National U21 Championships

KUCHING (Jan 21): Sarawak has fielded a 21-strong contingent for the Petronas National Under-21 Badminton Championships 2026 to be held at the Akademi Badminton Perak from Jan 21 to 25.

The squad of 11 male and 11 female shuttlers will be managed by Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) secretary Datuk Dr Wan Khalik Wan Muhammad, who stressed that SBA is emphasising competitive exposure and performance development as the primary objectives of the campaign.

The championships is viewed as an important platform for Sarawak’s young shuttlers to test themselves against opposition at the national level while seeking breakthroughs in both the singles and doubles events.

Podium finishes are welcomed, SBA said, but the main focus remains on meeting performance benchmarks and demonstrating composure in match situations.

Preparation for the tournament has been building up steadily over the past few weeks, with particular attention given to match intensity and physical conditioning.

Coaches overseeing the squad have observed a strong hunger to compete among the players who have shown encouraging improvements in technical execution and tactical awareness.

SBA also highlighted that the same group of players will be involved in Sarawak’s Malaysia Games (Sukma) selection trials scheduled for the end of the month, making the National U21 Championships an important performance indicator in the lead-up to the biennial games.

The association said it is encouraged by the increasing depth within Sarawak’s youth badminton pipeline. The National Under-21 Championships serves as a meaningful stepping stone towards Sukma as well as a key component of the long-term SMASH 2030 development roadmap.