Participants from nine countries compete in over 4,000 events
SOME 1,400 skaters representing 38 ice rinks competed in the largest edition of Skate Asia at Sunway Pyramid Ice in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya.
The tournament featured more than 4,000 competitive programmes involving individual and team participants.
Skaters from nine countries and territories were represented – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Vietnam and the United States.
Local skaters included those from Sunway Pyramid Ice, Blue Ice Skating Rink Kuala Lumpur, Blue Ice Skating Rink Johor and Icescape Ice Rink IOI.
The field also included skaters from nine Indonesian rinks, seven Thai rinks and three Philippine rinks, alongside those from Hong Kong, Macau, China, Vietnam and the US.
The event marked the 24th edition of Skate Asia since the competition began in Hong Kong in 1989.
It was also the seventh edition held in Malaysia, with Sunway Pyramid Ice hosting each edition.
The Sunway Pyramid Ice Academy also celebrated the rink’s 30th anniversary during the opening ceremony.
Sunway Pyramid Ice manager Kelvin Wong said about 600 skaters took part when Malaysia first hosted the competition in 1999.
The competition caters to skaters across a range of ages and abilities, with participants grouped according to age, skating level or both.
“For aspiring athletes, Skate Asia is an important rite of passage in their sporting journey,” Wong said during the opening ceremony.
“We have seen some of Asia’s best figure skaters perform here, and we look forward to nurturing the next generation.”
He said the competition was a chance for skaters to gain experience and competition exposure, as well as practise sportsmanship.
Ice Skating Institute Asia president Harry Janto Leo said regional competitions exposed participants to different skating styles and international standards.
“Participants get to study different styles and compete within international standards, which is essential for athletes to improve.
Harry said holding the competition at an established rink that could be viewed from several levels of the mall also brought the sport before a wider audience.
“Hosting this competition in an established rink with a strong public presence creates visibility for talents and helps create awareness of this sport far beyond the skating community,” he said.
The competition was organised in collaboration with the Ice Skating Institute Asia and supported by the Ice Skating Association of Malaysia.
Sunway Pyramid Ice senior director Albert Cheok said the venue had a role in developing ice skating as both a recreational activity and competitive sport in Malaysia.
“The participants will compete on the same ice where some of our country’s finest skaters made headway in their journey,” he said.
The organisers cited Olympic figure skater Julian Yee and SEA Games gold medallist Fang Ze Zeng among the Malaysian athletes whose early development took place at the rink.
The opening ceremony featured a parade of participating delegations, an ice performance by Crowns Cheerleading and Tumbling, a 24 Festive Drums performance by Sunway University and a performance by Fang.
