By Allan G Dumbong, International Correspondent
PATNA, BIHAR, INDIA: One sports leader and four athletes from Sabah are making their presence felt at the ISTAF Sepaktakraw World Cup 2025 currently underway at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Kanjarbagh, Patna, Bihar, India.
Allan Dumbong, originally from Keningau,who is the Vice President of the New Zealand SepakTakraw Federation Inc (NZSFI), is representing the country as the team manager.
Meanwhile, four talented players from Sabah will represent Malaysia: Emilia Eva Natasha Saudi (29) from Kota Marudu, Kamisah Khamis (27) and Siti Hadinavilla Jumidil (25) of Sadakan and Azeira Lusian (20) from Keningau.
These players were selected for the Malaysian team based on their strong performances at the Malaysian Games (SUKMA), a national multi-sport event held every two years.
Despite being far away from home, the Sabah athletes are eager to compete on the world stage and measure themselves against international teams.
The draw for the tournament has revealed that Malaysia and New Zealand will not meet in the preliminary rounds. In the Regu event, New Zealand will be placed in a group with the USA and hosts India. In the Quadrant event, they will face the USA, India, and Iran.
Malaysian player Azeira Lusian expressed her excitement: “I am proud to be part of the Malaysian team. I will do my best to help our country succeed in this tournament. We Sabahans are all excited.”
Meanwhile, Allan Dumbong, who currently works for the New Zealand government, emphasised his efforts to strengthen international relations in the sepaktakraw.
“My aim is to build links between our team and other countries through ISTAF and ASTAF. This will help grow the sport and improve our world ranking,” he said.
He also emphasised that the tournament provides a valuable platform for him to develop skills in sports management, diplomacy, and leadership.
During the World Cup, Allan met with ISTAF leaders including Acting President Boonchai Lorhpipat, Deputy President Muhammad Fariq, Secretary General Datuk Abdul Halim Kader and Assistant Secretary General cum President of SepakTakraw Federation of India (STFI) Yogender Singh Dahiya. He also met with officials from the referee committee, anti-doping department, media, and communications teams as well as the presidents of the sepaktakraw federations from various countries.
With ISTAF in talks with the International Olympic Committee, Allan sees an opportunity for sepaktakraw to expand its global reach. He hopes to play a key role in promoting the sport in New Zealand and aims to register the New Zealand Sepaktakraw Federation as part of the country’s Olympic team in the near future.
As the competitions progress, these athletes from Sabah will continue to make a splash by proudly representing their heritage while increasing the presence of sepaktakraw on the world stage.
