Sepak takraw, or Sepaktakraw, also called buka ball, kick volleyball or foot volleyball, is a team sport. It is played with a ball made of rattan or plastic between two teams of two to four players on a court resembling a badminton court. It is similar to volleyball and footvolley in its use of a rattan ball and players using only their feet, knees, shoulders, chest and head to touch the ball. Sepak Takraw is often referred to as a mixture of volleyball, due to its use of a net, and association football, as players use their feet.
The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by the interplay of indigenous customs and diverse foreign influences. With over 1,300 distinct ethnic groups, including significant Austronesian and Melanesian cultures, contributing to its rich traditions, languages, and customs, Indonesia is a melting pot of diversity. Positioned along ancient trade routes between the Far East, South Asia, and the Middle East, the country has absorbed cultural practices influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity. These influences have created a complex cultural tapestry that often differs from the original indigenous cultures.
Jiànzi, tī jiànzi (踢毽子), tī jiàn (踢毽), or jiànqiú (毽球), is a traditional Chinese sport in which players aim to keep a heavily weighted shuttlecock in the air using their bodies apart from the hands, unlike in similar games such as peteca and indiaca. The primary origin of jianzi is an ancient Chinese game called Cuju, from the Han dynasty, 2,000 years ago. Jianzi is played on a badminton court using inner or outer lines in different competition settings. It can also be played artistically, among a circle of players in a street or park, with the objective to keep the shuttle 'up' and show off skills. In Vietnam, it is known as đá cầu, and it is the national sport. In the Philippines, it is known as sipa and was also the national sport, until it was replaced by arnis in December 2009.
Sipa is the Philippines' traditional native sport which predates the Spanish rule. The game is related to Sepak Takraw. Similar games include Footbag net, Footvolley, Bossaball and Jianzi.
Chinlone, also known as caneball, is the traditional, national sport of Myanmar (Burma). It is non-competitive, with typically six people playing together as one team. The ball used is normally made from hand-woven rattan, which sounds like a basket when hit. Similar to the game of hacky-sack, chinlone is played by individuals passing the ball among each other within a circle without using their hands. However, in chinlone, the players are walking while passing the ball, with one player in the center of the circle. The point of the game is to keep the ball from hitting the ground while passing it back and forth as creatively as possible. The sport of chinlone is played by men, women, and children, often together, interchangeably. Although very fast, chinlone is meant to be entertaining and fluid, as if it were more of a performance or dance.
Songket or sungkit is a tenun fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads in a technique called supplementary weft weaving technique.
The Sukma Games is a biennial national multi-sport event involving young athletes from Malaysia's 13 states and 3 Federal Territories. The games are regulated by the National Sports Council of Malaysia, the state sports council of the respective member states, the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the National Sports association of the games respective sporting event. The logo was designed by Anuar bin Dan in 1986.
Sports in Indonesia are popular from both the participation and spectating aspect. Some popular sports in Indonesia are football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, badminton, and the native Indonesian martial art pencak silat. Badminton is arguably Indonesia's most successful sport. Indonesia has won gold medals in badminton in every Olympic Games since the sport was first introduced to the Olympics in 1992, with the exception of two, at the 2012 and 2024 Summer Olympics, although in latter Games, Indonesia clinched a gold medal for the first time in sport climbing and weightlifting, respectively. Indonesia became the first grand winner in Badminton Olympics back then 1992. Indonesia regularly participates in the Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, and Sudirman Cup badminton championships, then became the first nation in history to complete those three titles. Indonesia also regularly participates in regional multi-events sport, such as the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and Olympic Games. Indonesia is one of the major sport powerhouses in the Southeast Asian region, winning the Southeast Asian Games 10 times since 1977.
Akmal Rizal Bin Ahmad Rakhli is a former Malaysian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is well known for his finishing ability and good technique. Apart from that, he is one of the batch of Malaysians to play overseas. Akmal Rizal is the current head coach of Malaysia Super League club Penang.
Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Kudus is an Indonesian football club based in Kudus Regency, Central Java. Persiku is currently in Liga 2. Persiku has the nickname Macan Muria and Laskar Telingsing and its supporters are known as SMM. Persiku is headquartered at Wergu Wetan Stadium.
Andi Ramang was an Indonesian football forward, considered one of the most influential players in the country in the 1950s and 60s. He was also referred to as Rusli Ramang in official FIFA documents.
The International Sepaktakraw Federation, commonly known as ISTAF, is the international governing body for the sport of Sepak takraw, which was formed in 1988 with five founding member countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Myanmar, officially based in Thailand and with its secretariat in Singapore. The current President is Major General Dr. Charouck Arirachakaran of Thailand. Its main goal currently is to spread Sepak takraw into 75 different countries and ultimately make it an Olympic sport by 2026. As of April 2020, the federation consists of about 50 member national associations, mostly in Asia-Oceania, 13 of which are on provisional status.
The Indonesian Malaysians are Malaysian citizens of Indonesian ancestry. Today, there are many Malaysian Malays who have lineage from the Indonesian archipelago and have played an important role in the history and contributed to the development of Malaysia, they have been assimilated with other Malay communities and are grouped as part of the foreign Malays or anak dagang in terms of race. The Malaysian census does not categorize ethnic groups from the Indonesian archipelago as a separate ethnic group, but rather as Malay or Bumiputera.
Sepak Tekong is a traditional children's game from Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia similar in play to hide-and-seek. It is played in many regions around Indonesia. The name comes from the Minangkabau language. The word sepak means menendang or menyepak in Indonesian, which roughly translates to "kick" in English; and tekong means kaleng in Indonesian, which translates to the word "can" in English. Sepak Tekong therefore roughly translates to "kicking the can" in English.
The Sepak Takraw League, often referred as STL, is a Malaysian men's professional league for sepak takraw, a sport native to Southeast Asia. The competition was established in 2014 by the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) and Astro Group’s subsidiary, Asia Sports Ventures, to develop the sport and groom players for the Malaysia men's national team. Since 2016, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between a top division called STL Premier and a second division called STL Division 1. A cup competition called STL Champions Cup was introduced in 2017, featuring the top teams from STL Premier and STL Division 1 as well as invitational sides from around Asia. All competitions under the league use the official International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) rules and regulation.
The Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia, is the national governing body for sepaktakraw in Malaysia, officially found on 28 January 1960 in Penang, responsible for organising the national Sepak Takraw League, which was held annually since its establishment in 2014, as well as supporting and co-ordinating its state affiliations.
The Sepak Takraw Association of Indonesia, is the national governing body for sepaktakraw in Indonesia, officially found in 1971 with four founding regional affiliations, and had been becoming a member of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) since 1979. Originally, PSTI officially registered under the title ‘Persatuan Sepak Raga Seluruh Indonesia’ (PERSERAS), however, after the inception of the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation in 1982, which the PERSERAS was considered one of the founding members, the organization was renamed to ‘Persatuan Sepak Takraw Seluruh Indonesia’ (PERSETASI) and lastly, as known today, ‘Persatuan Sepak Takraw Indonesia’ (PSTI).
The STL Premier or Sepak Takraw League Premier, is the top level of the Sepak Takraw League, the Malaysian men's professional league for sepak takraw, a sport native to Southeast Asia. Contested by 10 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Sepak Takraw League. Originally founded in 2014 as a single league season, the league system underwent another major revamp by introducing a promotion and relegation system after 2015 season. The new format was well-received, with the viewership of STL hitting a new record of 5.6 million viewers in the 2016 season, improving from 4.8 million viewers a year earlier. All competitions under the league use the official International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) rules and regulation.
The National Sports Week 2024, also called as PON Aceh-Sumut 2024, is the twenty first edition of the National Sports Week (PON) which is a major national multi-sport event which take place from 9 to 20 September 2024 with Aceh and North Sumatra as hosts.
