Fairul completes Commonwealth cycle as national coach

PETALING JAYA: Four years ago in Birmingham, Fairul Izwan Abd Muin took his final bow as a national lawn bowler.

Fast forward to 2026, Fairul, who won the silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and bronze at the 2010 New Delhi edition in both men’s pairs, is back on the biggest stage, this time leading the national team as head coach.

The 43-year-old said the 2022 Birmingham Games marked his last outing as an athlete where his best finish was in the singles, finishing fourth.

He served as assistant coach under then-national coach Zuraidi Puteh in 2023, before taking charge of the Federal Territories team from 2024 to 2025, guiding them at the 2024 Malaysia Games (Sukma).

“Not much has changed. I was already coaching the younger athletes during my time in Kuala Lumpur,” said Fairul, who took over in January.

“Taking care of the young ones is different from working with the elite athletes. With them, we focus on fitness and mental preparation.

“Technique-wise, they are already experienced – it’s just fine-tuning and giving them confidence before and after their games.”

While the 2022 Games featured eight events, this edition has been trimmed to four – singles and pairs for both men and women and the format has been changed.

“For the athletes, the change in the format isn’t a problem. Emma Firyana Saroji won using it at the World Cup last year, and we’ve used it consistently since.”

Unlike the outdoor greens of Birmingham, matches in Glasgow will be played indoors in a large hall at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Centre.

“For me, the athletes are lucky,” he said, crediting the Malaysia Lawn Bowls Association president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz’s push to secure a portable rink for training in Kuala Lumpur.

“Since last year, the president worked to bring in a company to build a portable rink in Kuala Lumpur that closely mirrored the conditions in Glasgow, right down to the green’s speed.

“That was important in our preparation.” Fairul added.

Malaysia are eyeing two medals from the team, comprising Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple (Men’s singles), Mohd Soufi Rosli, Amirul Danial Abdul Rahim (Men’s pairs), Emma (women’s singles), Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman and Aleena Ahmad Nawawi (women’s pairs).