KUALA LUMPUR — For years, bowling has quietly delivered on both the local and international front. Yet, unlike football, hockey, rugby, or sepak takraw, the sport remains without a national development programme (NDP).
The recent performance of Malaysia’s junior bowlers at the Asian Junior Championships in Doha — where they were crowned overall champions with two events still to go — only adds weight to the long-standing question: Why hasn’t bowling been given the same structural support?
Malaysia made history by sweeping both the boys’ and girls’ team golds for the first time ever, and already hold a haul of five golds and five bronzes heading into the boys’ and girls’ Masters events.
But even with such dominance, half the bowlers competing in Doha are not part of the official national junior setup.
This is due to the National Sports Council’s (NSC) funding limitations for the national youth programme, which only supports a capped number of athletes under the age of 21.
“It’s a superb outing for this young team, which includes several from the state programmes,” said Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) secretary-general Maradona Chok.
“This proves once again that we have a world-class grassroots system that sustains our success. I hope bowling can finally have its own NDP — it would give us more certainty and continuity in producing future champions.”
The 16 Malaysian bowlers competing in Doha come from 10 different states. Among them is Qurratu’ain Izdihar Pozi, who completed a clean sweep of four golds in the singles, doubles, team, and all-events categories.
Maradona said the strong representation and results are proof of just how deep the talent pool is.
“The competition is very stiff, especially when it comes to selection for major events like the SEA Games. That alone shows how well we’re doing.
“But we can do so much more if we had a proper deployment programme and more funding.”
He also praised junior coaches Azidi Ameran and Alex Liew for their role in preparing and guiding the team.
“These are young bowlers, and it’s not easy to keep them focused throughout a long tournament. So full credit to the coaches.”
The second block of the Masters events resumes tomorrow, with Malaysia gunning for more medals to cap off a record-breaking campaign in Doha. — August 1, 2025