PETALING JAYA: Sarawak is looking to bring more international badminton action to the state with plans to bid for three tournaments over the next three years.
The Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) are setting their sights on hosting the Malaysia Super 100 next year, followed by the World Junior Championships in 2028 and the World Senior Championships in 2029.
SBA secretary-general Datuk Wan Khalik Wan Muhammad said the plans were part of the association’s Smash 2030 blueprint, which aims to establish Sarawak as a leading badminton development and high-performance centre in East Malaysia while promoting the state as a sports tourism destination.
He said the recent success of Kuching-born Genevie Lim, who made history by winning the world junior girls’ doubles title alongside Low Zi Yu, had also provided added motivation to bring international badminton tournaments to the state.
“Previously, BAM deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam had asked whether Sarawak BA were interested in bidding to host any tournaments under the Badminton World Federation (BWF),” said Wan Khalik.
“Initially, we considered hosting a Super 300 tournament, but Malaysia does not have an event at that level. We were then asked to consider bidding for a Super 100 tournament.
“After discussions among our board members, we agreed to pursue the idea, especially since the tournament is scheduled for October, after the SEA Games, which Sarawak will also be co-hosting.
“It’s not that we don’t want to bid for the Malaysian Open or Malaysian Masters, but both tournaments already have commitments with their respective sponsors and will continue to be held in the Klang Valley.
“Coincidentally, Genevie has just won the world junior title, so that has also encouraged us to look at bringing more international badminton tournaments to Sarawak.”
Sarawak are no strangers to hosting international badminton tournaments, having staged the Malaysian Open twice in Kuching in 2006 and 2017, as well as the Malaysian Masters in Sibu in 2017.
The Malaysia Super 100 was first introduced in 2023, with its first two editions held in Kuala Lumpur.
However, the tournament moved to Iskandar Puteri, Johor, last year and has remained there since.
