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KUALA LUMPUR (21 MARCH 2013): Malaysia may get to host the opening and final legs of the ISTAF SuperSeries 2013 when the new season kicks off in May.
This was announced by the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) in a Press Conference on the sidelines of the two-day workshop for the ISTAF SuperSeries 2013 in Kuala Lumpur today.
ISTAF Secretary-General Dato’ Abdul Halim Kader said Malaysia’s success in hosting both the legs, however, is subject to ‘fulfilling the technical requirements’ set by the international body.
The opening leg of the ISTAF SuperSeries 2013 has been tentatively scheduled to be hosted by Negeri Sembilan (May 16-19) while the ISTAF SuperSeries Finals will be held in Sabah (Oct 31-Nov 3) whereby both the men and women champions will be crowned.
Thailand will host the second leg of the SuperSeries (June 26-29) and India, the third leg (Aug 27-Sept 1).
Also in attendance at the press conference were UFA Sports Asia Managing Director Jeff Chue and President of the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association, Datuk Ahmad Ismail.
The workshop, which is hosted by UFA Sports Asia, ISTAF’s global commercial and development partner and one of the world’s leading sports marketing agencies, represents a summit meeting to build upon the immensely successful inaugural ISTAF SuperSeries 2011/12 by having an open discussion and dialogue with participating teams from Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Brunei, Philippines, India, United States, Myanmar, China and Iran.
“There cannot be any form of hindrance to the continued success ISTAF SuperSeries 2013 as it is our vision to revolutionise the sport at all levels,” said Dato’ Abdul Halim. “By inviting the 14 participating nations, we want them to understand how Season 2 of the ISTAF SuperSeries has been enhanced so as to further increase the competitive levels, profile and international appeal of the sport, whilst at the same time showcasing the spectacular qualities of Sepaktakraw which makes it simply breathtaking to watch.”
“The presidents and secretary-generals of all the participating nations will be thoroughly briefed on these enhancements during the workshop, which will also serve to strengthen comradeship among the member countries.”
Jeff Chue, UFA Sports Asia Managing Director, said: “Having brought the sport to audiences in an unprecedented 68 countries around the world, the ISTAF SuperSeries 2013 has, in just one season, propelled Sepaktakraw onto the world stage.
“Building on the success of the first season, SuperSeries 2013 has been meticulously assembled, and this workshop will enable the all-important final touches to be made so that commercial appeal of the ISTAF SuperSeries and Sepaktakraw is progressively increased,” he added.
The inaugural ISTAF SuperSeries, covering four tournaments, was held last year after the conclusion of the 2011 ISTAF World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. The 12-best men regus and eight-best women regus in the World Cup were picked to compete in the ISTAF SuperSeries 2011/12.
Thailand hosted the opening and final legs of the ISTAF SuperSeries 2011/12 while Indonesia and Singapore played hosts to the second and third legs respectively.
About the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF)
Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) is the internationally-recognised world governing body for Sepaktakraw, a truly dynamic sport having its roots in Southeast Asia. Since its inception in 1992, ISTAF has enjoyed consistent success with its efforts in introducing and developing the sport globally. Although a relative newcomer to the Olympic Movement, it now enjoys steadily increasing membership from across four continents, and Sepaktakraw is played in more than 50 countries around the world.
Notably, Sepaktakraw is today a medal sport in the Asian Games, Asian Beach Games and the SEA Games, and made its debut at the World Games in the 2009 edition in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
About UFA Sports
Originally established in 1988, UFA Sports is one of the world’s leading sports marketing and media specialists delivering tailor-made sports marketing solutions for its wide range of strategic rights-holder partners.
The UFA Sports success story in turn owes much to the vision and support of its parent, the RTL Group, Europe’s largest broadcast and entertainment conglomerate. Renowned for producing successful television content such as talent and games shows (e.g., Idol, The X Factor, and Got Talent series), drama and reality TV, the RTL Group is also the leading pan-European broadcaster operating over 50 TV channels and 29 radio stations across the continent, and is itself part of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world’s leading inter¬national media companies with over 105,000 employees worldwide.
UFA Sports therefore enjoys formidable financial and strategic support, all of which is absolutely critical to the delivery of world-class services, and the provision of financial security for international sports organisations.
Released by Shekhinah PR for UFA Sports Asia. For further information please contact:
Christopher Raj
Shekhinah PR / 012 2161881
chris@shekhinah.my
Fazil Mahmud
Shekhinah PR / 016 3782759
fazil@shekhinah.my
