SIMANGGANG: The Sri Aman Division Sepak Takraw Association (PESTASA) is aiming to bring international participation into future editions of the Raja Libas tournament as part of efforts to raise the competition’s profile and strengthen sports tourism in Sri Aman.
PESTASA president Awangku Hafizi Awang Azahari said the association hopes to attract teams from Brunei and neighbouring countries through a long-term development plan being carried out in stages.
He said the move would not only improve the standard of competition, but also help promote Sri Aman to visitors from outside the region.
“This effort is also intended to promote Sri Aman town in terms of tourism to people from outside the region,” he said during the opening ceremony of the Raja Libas 2026 5th Edition tournament at the Mini Stadium Sri Aman recently.
Awangku Hafizi added that the tournament also serves as a platform to identify and develop new sepak takraw talents capable of representing Sarawak at higher levels in the future.
“We hope to discover new talents who can eventually emerge as champions and represent Sarawak on bigger and more professional stages,” he said.
He described the response towards this year’s tournament as highly encouraging, with participation exceeding expectations from teams and sepak takraw enthusiasts across the state.
The tournament attracted 24 teams in the open category and 13 teams in the veteran category, featuring participants from Kuching, Sibu, Bau, Lundu, Miri, Sri Aman and Betong.
Awangku Hafizi also expressed appreciation to Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor and Doris Sophia Brodie for their contributions and commitment towards grassroots sports development in the area.
Champions of the open category will receive RM1,500 along with trophies and medals, while the runners-up will take home RM1,000. Joint third-place winners will each earn RM400.
Meanwhile, the veteran category offers RM1,000 for champions, RM800 for runners-up and RM300 for third-place finishers, accompanied by trophies and medals.
Special awards including Best Tekong, Best Right Apit, Best Left Apit and Idol Player Award will also be presented to outstanding players throughout the tournament.
