Challenges intensify for local sepaktakraw scene after ISTAF suspension and loss of National Sports Association status.

The future of sepaktakraw in Singapore is shrouded in uncertainty after the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) suspended the Singapore Sepak Takraw Federation (PERSES). Along with this suspension, PERSES has lost its status as a National Sports Association, meaning it no longer qualifies as an affiliate member of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).

On November 28, ISTAF officially announced the termination of PERSES’s membership following a decision made during an executive committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur on November 4. The suspension comes after ISTAF cited “grave misconduct” within the leadership of PERSES.

The federation’s president, Nasri Haron, and secretary general, Zahid Abdul Aziz, were both previously suspended by the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation (ASTAF) in 2022. Nasri received a 12-year suspension, while Zahid was handed a 7-year ban, due to serious misconduct charges stemming from ASTAF’s disciplinary proceedings.

Amidst these developments, Salleh Nanang, former head coach of the Singapore national sepaktakraw team, expressed concern over the sport’s future in the country. However, he remains hopeful that with strong leadership and collective effort from all stakeholders, including management, players, and coaches, sepaktakraw can regain its momentum.

“It will take time for sepaktakraw in Singapore to grow again with all these challenges. It is not easy, as it will need the cooperation of everyone involved,” Salleh shared in an interview with The Independent Singapore.

As the sport faces these significant hurdles, stakeholders are left grappling with the long-term impact of the suspension on Singapore’s sepaktakraw community.