Bar None

In a recent parliament session, Youth & Sports minister Hannah Yeoh revealed that the federal government has decided to cancel its plans to construct dedicated drag racing circuits in each state. Instead, the ministry will prioritise the improvement and renovation of existing sports facilities. This move, which was initially introduced by the previous administration under ex-Prime Minister Ismail...

For the third time in Sudirman Cup history, the Malaysian contingent came home with a bronze medal finishing in a commendable third place. Despite not being able to reach the historic final, there were plenty of positives to take away from the campaign in Suzhou, China where the squad cruised into the knockout rounds after advancing in what's been dubbed as the 'Group of Death' with India & Chines...

Founded by three Hungarians in 2012, Teqball is a sport that combines elements of table tennis, football...and to a certain extent, sepak takraw. One that has been regarded as the 'fastest growing sport on the globe with footballing icons such as Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappé, and Roberto Carlos among the current and former players who have their own customized teq tables. At the recent SEA Games in C...

Regarded as one of the great football minds & the most decorated football manager of all-time, this week marks the tenth year since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped away from the beautiful game. A historic 26-year reign at the helm of Manchester United saw him win 38 trophies with the club while fulfilling his ultimate goal of knocking Liverpool off their perch. He made the decision to retire at 71 years...

A little more than a year out to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Youth & Sports ministry had recently come out with a blueprint as the nation chases the elusive Olympic gold medal. The new and improved 'Road To Gold' project is described as a “long-term roadmap” which would cover not just next year’s Paris Olympics but looks beyond as well to Los Angeles 2028. A top-up to the Podium Programme, a tota...

Fresh of another race win in Estonia, national & world #1 tower runner Soh Wai Ching adds yet another record under his belt, where in conjunction with World Health Day last Friday, the 28 year old conquered the "Farthest Simulated Distance Climbed on a Stair Machine in One Hour". He climbed a distance of 1.64km in 60 minutes, which to put it in perspective is almost four times the height of the KL...

With origins dating back to 1950s Italy, Finswimming is an underwater swimming sport where athletes race against each other with the use of floating and breathing equipment like masks, fins, snorkels and a scuba diving set. Known as the F1 of swimming due to its increased speed as compared to conventional swimming, it's a sport that's been recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) an...

The badminton season is well underway now with the recently concluded 2023 All England Open as one of the major tournaments of the season. The Malaysian contingent went in with high hopes of reversing their poor run of form this year, however only managed a semis & quarters spot while the rest crashed out early in the prestigious Super 1000 tournament. In an event which marked the comeback of powe...

Local women's football has been picking up in the recent years, however still light years away from reaching the widespread coverage & fandom of the men's game. Social leagues have helped give aspiring (as well as professional) women a platform to express themselves through the beautiful game - and one of the biggest tournaments is the Women's Super League helmed by the FA of Selangor. This weeken...

For over 20 years, Sharon Wee had ruled supreme on the squash court, a former national #1 & world #18. After she retired in 2010, she wanted to remain with the national setup by lending her experience with senior coaching - however, that wasn't meant to be. Enter TV and sports broadcasting, as she took the plunge and made a successful endeavor diving into sports punditry and hosting. She also has...

At the recent 21st Asian Junior Team Championships held in India, the Malaysian juniors performed superbly with the women's squad bagging their tenth crown & fourth consecutive title beating Hong Kong 2-0 while in the men's team event - Malaysia ended up joint third, going out in the semi-finals to eventual champions Pakistan. A big part of that success is through the guidance of longtime Juniors...

For the upcoming season of local football, the MFL has teamed up with Astro as they return to be the official broadcaster of MFL’s Liga Malaysia six competitions - which includes the big three, Liga Super, Piala FA, and Piala Malaysia. Also included in the wide-ranging three-year deal is the curtain raiser in the Piala Sumbangsih, MFL Challenge Cup, and MFL Cup. With this comes a large sum of TV m...

We've all heard of the Olympic Games & the Paralympics, but little is known about the Special Olympics World Games - the largest sporting event that promotes and advances a world of full inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968, the global movement now provides a safe space for over five million athletes from 174 different countries. On the horizon is the World Games ha...

In our worst showing at a home tournament since 2015, the national contingent had an underwhelming performance at the recently concluded Petronas Malaysia Open, with not one national shuttler making it to the semi-finals. The home-favorites of national ace Lee Zii Jia, World #3 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik & French Open champions Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah all sent packing in the early stages of the tournam...

In light of the recent viral video where a U14 coach was filmed slapping two of his players, an incident that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to protecting children's welfare as well as the safety of grassroot sport. Enter the Safe Sport Act - a nationwide initiative that aims to create a safe space where participants can train, compete and thrive without fear of physical, psychologica...

International football is set to go on after a climatic Qatar World Cup, with what's billed as the "ASEAN World Cup" - the 14th edition of the recently rebranded AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup set to run tonight all through mid-January. With Malaysia kick-starting their campaign v Myanmar - the narrative heading into the tournament was disheartening to say the least. With it not being in the FIFA foo...

As we wind down the year, we pick out some of the biggest sporting stories to happen in 2022. We explore sports-washing in these modern times in conjunction with Qatar WC 2022, go into the nitty-gritty of what goes behind taking up the post of Youth & Sports minister & wrap up with a story on the iconic Stadium Shah Alam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we head to the world of triathlons with engineer by day, triathlete by night Kuok Yuen Teh - who broke the national triathlon record in Italy with a record of 9 hours and 28 minutes, a record which was previously set in 2000s at 9 hours 50 minutes. The experienced 35-year-old is currently working towards becoming the first Malaysian man to go under 9 hours (sub9) in triathlons by the ag...

Qatar is set to be the centre of the planet this weekend making history as the first middle-east country to host the World Cup. However, for over 12 years since FIFA awarded them, the state had to answer to reports of worker abuse, homophobia, sexism & racism which are well documented with exposés in the media. On the money side, Qatar has spent over $300 billion on the event, which is over fifty...

With the general elections looming, post GE-15 will see the fourth Youth & Sports minister in a little over five years. Long-term policies and consistent plans are ideal, however not always the case where incoming ministers come with new ideas, often derailing the plans of their predecessors. This week on the programme, we explore the role of a Youth & Sports minister and the different nuances tha...

With amazing track records in junior racing, 20 year old Syarifuddin Azman or commonly known as Damok, was recently announced to be competing for a full season of Moto3 with the MT Helmets-MSI team next year. Last weekend - after a two year hiatus - he raced and claimed the 16th position as a wildcard rider in Moto3 race at the Petronas Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang International C...

After budget allocation for sports was cut by almost 70% in 2022, the 2023 Budget promises more goodies in all sectors of the ecosystem with RM332million allocated to the industry. Notwithstanding the fact that the budget will be retabled/tweaked following the dissolution of parliament & the upcoming general elections - this week, we dive deeper into the allocation covering all facets of the indus...

Over the weekend, one of the deadliest stadium disasters happened in Malang, East Java when local rivals Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya - the Arema's first home lost in this fixture for over 23 years. Fans stormed the pitch causing police & authorities to react firing teargas trapping fans and causing at least 125 fans their lives - including 32 young children - and hundreds more hurt in the...

At the recently concluded 20th SUKMA (Malaysia) Games, one of the biggest controversies was on the news that three weightlifters (one from Perlis, two from Terengganu) tested positive for banned substances throwing the entire event into uncertainty. The Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) ultimately pulled out from conducting the event, leaving a group of weightlifting enthusiasts to run it....

After two years of inactivity, the World Dodgeball Championships returned with our men's national team capturing their third world title defeating Australia 10-5 in the final. Following their success in 2017, 2018 and as world #1 - the squad met all expectation as they were heavy favorites coming into the tournament in Edmonton. Joining us on the programe this week, is team captain Aaron Peck & co...