KUALA LUMPUR – As one of Malaysia’s most successful sports, tenpin bowling remains fiercely competitive, especially when it comes to selection for major international events.
To ensure only the best are chosen, the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) will use the upcoming Hong Kong Open (June 27-July 5) and Thailand Open (July 11-17) as key assessments before finalising the squads for the World Championships and SEA Games later this year.
Speaking to Scoop today, MTBC secretary-general Maradona Chok said 21 bowlers from the National Podium and Youth squads will depart for Hong Kong on Monday.
“The Hong Kong Open will serve as a ranking championship for our World and SEA Games squads,” he said.
“It is one of several tournaments we are using to evaluate our bowlers, along with the Malaysia Open, the Sonic International Classic in Singapore, and the Singapore Open earlier.”
Maradona added that the Hong Kong venue will also host the IBF World Championships, while the Thailand Open venue is the same as the one for the SEA Games.
The World Championships are scheduled for November 24 to December 6, with the SEA Games to follow a week later in Bangkok.
Malaysia will field six men and six women for the World Championships, while the SEA Games squad will comprise four men and four women.
When asked about the level of competition so far, Maradona said: “Among the men, it’s very tight. The younger players are really giving the seniors a run for their money. With two events left, it’s still open to anyone to top the rankings.”
“For the women’s team, it’s as expected – the top guns are leading – but they still need to keep performing. The youngsters can close the gap with strong results in the remaining tournaments.”
Several bowlers, including reigning world champion Natasha Roslan and Sin Li Jane, have opted to skip the Hong Kong Open as they just returned from the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour in the United States. They will return to compete in the Thailand Open. – June 27, 2025