SIBU: A total of 13 teams from home and abroad will compete for the 2025 Sarawak International Invitational Volleyball Championship crown, to be held at the Sibu Indoor Volleyball Stadium, Rejang Park here, from July 29 to August 3.
Of the total, six men’s teams and seven women’s teams will take part in the tournament hosted by the Sarawak Volleyball Association (SAVA) in collaboration with the Sibu Volleyball Association (SVA).
Speaking at a press conference here today, SAVA secretary Stephanie Law said participating teams hail from Thailand, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Taiwan, in addition to sides from Johor, Miri, and Sarawak.
“For the men’s category, we have six teams, namely from Thailand, Hong Kong, Johor, Miri, Sarawak Senior and Sarawak Junior.
“Meanwhile, the women’s category involves seven teams, including Mongolia, Taipei, two teams from Thailand, as well as Sarawak Senior, Sarawak Junior and Johor,” she said.
She explained that the tournament is open to all teams, and Sarawak has taken steps to strengthen its squads by bringing in imported players from Thailand.
“The Sarawak Senior men’s team has invited four imported players from Thailand, while the women’s team has brought in two middle blockers from the same country,” she said.
She added that the presence of these international players is not only to bolster the team’s performance but also to provide exposure for local players to compete at a higher level.
“Most of these imported players are national players from their country, so we want them to help guide young Sarawak players towards playing at an international level,” she enthused.
Law said the tournament also forms part of Sarawak’s early preparations for the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA).
“We don’t want to wait until SUKMA is just around the corner to begin preparations. We are taking early steps to improve the competitiveness and performance of our players,” she stressed.
The champion of each category will take home a cash prize of USD2,000 (about RM9,300), with USD1,000 (about RM4,650) for the first runner-up and USD500 (about RM2,325) for the second runner-up.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 29 and will be officiated by a guest of honour to be announced later.
