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New Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysian snooker still excels despite budget cuts, says federation president
KUALA LUMPUR: Budget cuts and limited exposure have never stopped Malaysia's snooker stars from shining, and Thor Chuan Leong 's latest triumph proves it yet again. The 37-year-old created history by becoming the first Malaysian to win the Asian Six-Red Championship in Colombo on Wednesday, a feat hailed as a timely morale booster by Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia. With the Thailand Sea Games on the horizon, Chuan Leong's stunning victory couldn't have come at a better time. Compounding the good news, compatriot Lim Kok Leong also impressed by reaching the quarter-finals in what was his first international appearance in nearly two years. "There wasn't much expectation, especially for Kok Leong, as this was his first official overseas tournament since the 2023 Sea Games," said Melvin. "Due to budget constraints, we couldn't send our players to any officially-sanctioned events abroad over the past two years. But they stayed composed and delivered when it mattered." Chuan Leong's resurgence marks another chapter in Malaysia's golden era of snooker, led by himself, Kok Leong, and Moh Keen Ho — a trio that has carried the nation's hopes on the regional, continental and world stages since 2007. Keen Ho clinched singles gold at the 2007 Thailand Sea Games. Chuan Leong followed up with doubles gold alongside Sam Chong in Indonesia 2011, the six-red title in Myanmar 2013, and both singles and doubles (with Keen Ho) in Singapore 2015. Kok Leong captured six-red gold in Vietnam 2021 and doubles gold with Keen Ho in the Philippines 2019. Malaysia continued to dominate at the 2023 Cambodia Games, with Chuan Leong taking singles gold and Keen Ho winning the six-red event. The team also bagged silver in doubles (Kok Leong-Keen Ho) and two bronzes - Kok Leong in singles and the six-red doubles with Keen Ho. Beyond the region, Malaysia's proudest moment on the amateur world stage came in 2015 when Keen Ho and Kok Leong lifted the World Team Championship in Pakistan. "Chuan Leong came into this event hungry after losing his World Snooker Tour status," said Melvin. "His performance revealed both strengths and areas to improve, which will help us fine-tune his Sea Games preparations. "Kok Leong also had his moments, but unforced errors in the quarter-finals showed what still needs work. "The MSBF will continue sending both players to regional and international events through to the year-end, in the hope of sharpening them for Thailand, and ultimately, bringing home more gold medals."
New Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
How world power China overtook Malaysia in snooker
KUALA LUMPUR: Once upon a time, Malaysia ruled the Asian snooker scene. Yes, really. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, we had players like Sam Chong and Ng Ann Seng regularly chalking up wins at continental tournaments. While China were still fumbling with their cues, our cueists were dominating, thanks to better skills, tournament experience and a decent domestic structure. Fast forward to today, and it's a different story, one that doesn't end in our favour. China are now snooker giants. They've produced world-class stars like Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao and, of course, the trailblazing Ding Junhui. Meanwhile, Malaysia have slipped so far behind we're now reduced to chasing Sea Games medals and even that's a tall order. What happened? "China are committed," said Xintong, now a world champion and one of the sport's brightest stars. "We didn't have much before Junhui. But once he started winning, the country built on that success. "We got academies, coaches, support. Players were encouraged to go to the UK and test themselves." Simple as that. Junhui's rise lit the fuse. Suddenly, Chinese youngsters believed they could make it. But belief alone doesn't cut it. China backed it up with real investment. Dozens of academies popped up; facilities were upgraded. Young players were thrown into competitive systems and flown abroad to learn from the best. They turned potential into performance, talent into titles. And Malaysia? We took our eye off the ball. Despite producing Asian champions like Rory Thor and Moh Keen Hoo in recent times, the national development centre in Bukit Jalil was shut down in 2012. It has never been revived. The Malaysian Snooker & Billiards Federation (MSBF) has worked tirelessly to get funding from the government, private sector, anyone — but nothing has come through. MSBF is still trying, continuously requesting help and support, but it is fighting a losing battle. Meanwhile, China just kept pushing forward. Today, they've not only caught up, they've left us behind in a cloud of chalk dust. Our facilities are outdated, our junior system is patchy, and the sport still suffers from an image problem. To many Malaysians, snooker is a pastime played in dimly lit halls, not a legitimate, high-performance sport. Here's the kicker — there is no programme in place to support our national cueists right now. Zero. And yet they're expected to win medals at the Sea Games in December. How? With magic cues? It's a fantasy. You can't deliver results without structure. No money, no training, no proper coaches, but still, medals are demanded. It's not just unfair. It's absurd. No Malaysian has ever qualified for the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield. China? They've got a pipeline of players ready to take over the professional tour. It's all depressingly familiar. Remember football? In the 1990s, Japan came to Malaysia to study our league structure. Today, they're among the best in the world. And we are still arguing about naturalised players, salary arrears, and empty stadiums. Malaysia can get back on track in snooker. But it has to start with commitment. Real commitment — not lip service. We need a national academy, fully funded and staffed by qualified coaches. Young players need structured competitions and the chance to train abroad. The sport needs to be cleaned up and rebranded — marketed as a career path, not a hobby for uncles. Right now, snooker is still classified as a parlour sport. Under-16s can't even enter snooker centres. In China, teenage prodigies are being groomed for the professional tour, often backed by private funders who treat snooker like a serious sport. Xintong's success is a classic example. He started in a modest club in Xi'an. With the right backing and belief, he went on to win one of the sport's biggest prizes. It's not a fairy tale. It's a blueprint. Malaysia used to lead. We can do it again but only if we stop living in the past and start building for the future. The cue is in our hands. Time to make the shot.
New Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
MSBF hope to get Klang Valley training centre
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia hopes that the sport will get its own training centre in the Klang Valley soon to complement the new training facility recently launched in Penang. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh officiated the launch of the Northern Region Billiards and Snooker Academy in Bayan Baru on Friday (April 25). The National Sports Council had allocated RM500,000 for equipment for the academy while the Penang state government allocated RM1.3 million for renovation works. Melvin said MSBF is grateful for the support given to the sport but stressed that the addition of a centre in the Klang Valley would further boost talent development. "A few years ago, we proposed a Northern region training centre and a national training centre, but only the former was approved. We now hope that a national training centre will be set up soon," said Melvin. "Our top cueists and Sea Games champions – Moh Keen Ho, Lim Kok Leong and Rory Thor Chuan Leong – are from Penang but Keen Ho and Rory came up through the ranks when we had our training centre in Bukit Jalil. "When the national training centre was closed in 2012, we lost our base and could no longer run development programmes systematically. Our talent pool dried up. "During our glory years, legends Sam Chong and Ng Ann Seng trained in the Klang Valley. Having a centre here (Klang Valley) again would be a massive boost for our development programmes and preparations for major games." Melvin is optimistic new National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Jefri Ngadirin will look into the matter. "Despite the lack of full-time programmes, our cueists have always delivered medals for Malaysia. The problem now is that our medal winners are aging," said Melvin. "They might last for one or two editions of the Sea Games at most.
