SRI AMAN: Forty players will been shortlisted for the final selection of Sarawak petanque squad ahead of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026.
Trials are scheduled for February 10 and 11 at the Sarawak Petanque Centre in Santubong.
According to the Sarawak Boules Sports Association president Datuk Wan Abdillah Edruce Wan Abdul Rahman, the two-day selection process will be overseen by the new head coach from Thailand.
“We will conduct the final player selection session to form the squad that will represent Sarawak at Sukma 2026 in Selangor this August,” he said when met by the media at the Sarawak Games (SUKSAR) IV 2026 held at the petanque courts here in Sri Aman.
Wan Abdillah explained that about 40 players have been invited for the selection, but only 20 athletes will be chosen — 10 men and 10 women.
The association aims to identify the best players from the SUKSAR IV 2026 tournament to join the final selection. However, players from other areas with potential will also be invited to participate.
He added that the long list of selected athletes must be submitted to the Sukma 2026 committee by February 13 at the latest.
This rigorous selection process, he said, is part of Sarawak’s efforts to defend its SUKMA petanque title as the reigning champion, with hopes of continuing its strong performance at the national games in August.
