KUCHING: Buoyed by steady progress and growing confidence, Sarawak’s badminton squad is aiming to make its mark at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) Selangor 2026.
The squad’s preparations come at a time when badminton in Sarawak continues to gain momentum, with increased activity and participation helping to strengthen the sport’s foundation in the state.
Head coach James Chua, who only took over the SUKMA squad after joining the team in June, admitted that time was limited but remained pleased with the progress shown by his players.
Chua, a former Malaysian badminton player who also had coaching stints with the Czech Republic Badminton Association, believes Sarawak’s players are not far behind their national-level counterparts in terms of ability.
“The standard of these players is actually quite close to the national players. It is not that far.
“The difference is their training time, their commitment and whether their training is systematic,” he told Sarawak Tribune recently at the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) Hall.
Chua said his main focus since taking over the squad has been to strengthen the players’ physical condition while improving certain technical aspects ahead of SUKMA.
“To have good physical ability combined with good techniques, only then can we talk about good technical ability,” he said.
The coach said he has already seen improvements in the players’ physical development and believes they can continue to progress with about a month remaining before the Games.
Despite being hopeful of a podium finish, Chua remained cautious when asked about medal expectations, saying he did not want to set a specific target in terms of medal colour.
“Yes, I have medal expectations, but I do not want to comment on the colour. We will try our best to get a medal for Sarawak,” he said.
Chua acknowledged that gold would be a difficult target but believes silver and bronze are within reach if his players perform to their potential.
“Bronze is possible, silver is achievable, but gold is a bit hard. However, we will still try our best to get the best result we can,” he added.
With the final phase of preparation underway, Chua hopes his players can rise to the occasion and deliver another surprise as Sarawak aims to strengthen its challenge at SUKMA Selangor 2026.
The badminton competition will take place from August 15 to 24 at the Setia City Convention Centre.
