KUALA LUMPUR — Fifteen countries, including reigning world champions Thailand, have confirmed their participation in the 2025 Asia Cup Sepaktakraw Championships, set to take place at Titiwangsa Stadium this May.
Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) president Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan said the inaugural edition of the Asia Cup will feature teams from Malaysia, India, Singapore, Brunei, Iraq, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Pakistan, and the Philippines, alongside Thailand.
“Yesterday, we held a meeting with several Astaf (Asian Sepaktakraw Federation) executive council members to finalise key decisions, including team participation.
“We have confirmed 15 teams for the tournament, which will feature four events—regu (mandatory), doubles, quadrant, and team.
“So far, nine teams will compete in the quadrant event, seven in doubles, and eight in the team category,” he told reporters at a press conference today.
Sumali also revealed that PSM have proposed a rule change to Astaf and Istaf (International Sepaktakraw Federation) regarding the ‘challenge’ system in international tournaments.
Under the current system, teams lose their challenge even if the referee’s decision is overturned—unlike in badminton, where a successful challenge is retained.
“I’m proposing that teams retain their two challenges if the referee’s decision is proven incorrect,” he said. — February 11, 2025