The national petanque team
posing with medals after the
Invitational Open Petanque
Championship in Bintangor,
Sarawak, earlier this year.
The team are looking to
compete in the SEA Games.
Picture: BT file
The national petanque team have stepped up their training as they eye a spot at December's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar.
"Petanque will be included in this year's SEA Games in Myanmar and I hope that we will be able to compete in the tournament as I believe that we can win medals for the country," said captain Mazlan Hj Yahya in an interview with The Brunei Times.
"We are still waiting news from the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BDNOC), but in the meantime we are practicing very hard almost every day to prepare for the tournament.
"Training continues six times a week as usual and currently nine players are training for the competition," said Mazlan.
Wedy Nurol Suzana Luon is the sole female member of the squad.
The rest of the team are Hamidon Hj Hamid, Hj Mat Rasil Hj Ahmad, Hj Yussof Mohammad, Junaidi Ali, Wirna Hj Mohd Yassin, Pg Hj Asmalina Pg Hj Jaya and Muhd Abdillah Tamin.
Brunei also competed at the previous edition of the SEA Games in Indonesia in 2011, though both Mazlan and Muhd Abdillah failed to win any medals.
The national team, however, will first turn their attention to two regional tournaments next month.
The first event, the 4th Borneo Inter-Club Petanque Championship, will kick off on September 14 while the second, the 3rd Borneo Cup Petanque Championship, will commence the next day.
The tournaments this year will be held in Bintulu, Sarawak, and it will be the first time it will be held outside Brunei after the country hosted it for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2013 - and enjoyed glory in each instance.
Brunei were crowned champions of the 1st Borneo Inter-Club Petanque Championship and the Sultanate went on to sweep the second edition of the tournament and the additional Borneo Cup Petanque Championship the following year in 2011.
The national team also won last year's edition of the Borneo Cup Petanque Championship and the Borneo Inter-Club Petanque Championship - with Mazlan confident of more success this year.
"Our target in the tournaments is of course to win and to defend the titles," said Mazlan recently.
