JOHOR INTERNATIONAL PETANQUE CHAMPIONSHIP RECEIVES RECOGNITION BY THE MALAYSIA BOOK OF RECORDS

JOHOR BAHRU (28 August 2022): The inaugural 2022 Johor International Petanque Championship, which officially closed its curtains today, witnessed some exhilarating action over the weekend as participants lit up the "gravels" with notable victories over their respective opponents.

History was made when the tournament was officially recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) for successfully attracting the largest number of entries for the sport of petanque.

The official record proclamation was made in the presence of Dato' Hj On Jabbar @ Jaafar, the Johor Deputy State Secretary (Sports, Youth & Volunteers), this evening during the championship's closing and prize-giving ceremony.

The championship, which took place at Arena Emas, Taman Impian Emas and Arena Petanque MBJB over two days, recorded a total of 948 participants in 512 teams from nine countries competing in two categories (men's and women's pairs).

Dato' On expressed his pride in Johor's ability to organise a systematic and reputable event for the betterment of petanque in the nation, while hoping to continue it as an annual event on a par with the International Petanque Federation's (FIPJP) tournament calendar.

He said, "I'm overwhelmed with the reception for this championship as we received participation entries from nine countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Brunei and India for this inaugural edition. It's indeed a proud moment for us to receive recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) in regard to this championship.

"The grand scale of this petanque tournament also proves that Johor is determined to host more international sporting tournaments with the aim of bolstering the image of the state and the nation in the future," he added.

In addition, Dato' On conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to Claude Azema, President of the International Petanque Federation, for giving his time and effort to officiate the championship while witnessing Johor's world-class sports facilities, which have every prospect of catering to international sporting events and championships in the future.

Claude Azema also praised the organisers for their success in attracting a huge number of participants for this championship, and he firmly believes that the petanque court at Arena Emas is indeed a world-class facility capable of hosting more international tournaments in the future.

Meanwhile, the men's pair from Thailand, Thanakorn Sangkeawl – Chaiwat Ketngam, who represent Madu Tiga 9, overcame a fiery battle from their Thai counterparts with a score of 13-4.

Commenting on their victory, the pair said, "We didn't aim or expect to win this championship as we only planned to gain some exposure and experience. We're absolutely flabbergasted with our achievement, and we hope to continue this momentum in our upcoming tournaments."

The pair further said they were amazed by the hospitality shown by the organisers of the championship. "We're thankful to Johor and Malaysia for accepting and treating us with the utmost respect throughout this championship. With more than 948 participants in this championship, the organisers have done a splendid job in ensuring the championship is well managed and organised," the pair added.

In the women's category, Nantawan Fueangsanit – Panthipa Wong Chu Wet emerged as champions after defeating Anjani Dwi Aprillah – Sephia Febriyanti in the final. The Thai stalwarts overcame their Indonesian opponents from team JATIM A 13-6 with ease.

The debut edition of the 2022 Johor International Petanque Championship saw the men's champions take home tournament trophies and a cash prize of RM6,000, while the women's champions took home RM4,000.