MIRI: The Sabah Badminton Academy Kota Kinabalu (SKKBA) did Sabah proud by bringing home a total of 28 medals at the 2nd West-Lake Miri Open Badminton Championship 2026, which ended here recently.
Of the total, SKKBA won eight gold medals, 11 silver and nine bronze medals in the tournament that brought together players from all over Malaysia as well as 10 other countries including Brunei, China, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.
The tournament took place from July 31 to August 2 at the Kan Sheng Sports Badminton Hall, Miri, with the participation of 1,026 players competing in 58 events involving junior, open and senior categories.
The tournament was sponsored by West-Lake Tyres Sdn Bhd and organised by Senadin Badminton Club in collaboration with the Miri Badminton Association as the co-organiser.
SKKBA came out with a strong team of 60 players from Kota Kinabalu competing in various age categories, amateur and open.
SKKBA President, SM Lee, expressed his pride in the team’s achievements and gave his appreciation to the players, coaches, officials, supporters and all parties who contributed to the success.
He said that every medal won was the result of the players’ hard work, courage, discipline and commitment as well as the support of the entire SKKBA family.
“This achievement is very meaningful because the players had to face challenges throughout the tournament, including significant schedule delays and the use of a follow-by system that caused long waiting times between matches.
“Despite facing such situations, SKKBA players remained focused, resilient and showed high sportsmanship throughout the tournament,” he said.
According to SKKBA, the uncertainty of the schedule also caused several matches to end in walkovers as well as causing confusion among some participants.
However, the situation did not affect the SKKBA players’ enthusiasm to continue competing and bring glory to Sabah in the tournament which also included foreign players.
The team’s slogan, “Together We Rise, Together We Win”, also served as a source of motivation for the players throughout the tournament, in addition to receiving positive support from fellow players, acquaintances and the badminton community.
The achievement thus proves the great potential of badminton talent from Kota Kinabalu and Sabah when they are able to compete with top players from all over the country and outside Malaysia.
SKKBA described the success as not just an achievement in terms of winning medals, but also as an important achievement in the academy’s ongoing efforts to develop badminton talent, promote competitive sports and strengthen sports relations between Sabah, Sarawak and the regional badminton community.
In the meantime, SKKBA also expressed its appreciation to Senadin Badminton Club, Miri Badminton Association, West-Lake Tyres Sdn Bhd, tournament officials, coaches, volunteers, supporters and all the teams who made the tournament a success.
From left, H’ng Choon Leng who won the gold medal, SKKBA President, SM Lee (gold and silver), and Abidin Lambo (silver), pose for a photo after the success at the 2nd West-Lake Miri Open Badminton Championship 2026 in Miri, Sarawak.
Some of the 60 players from the Sabah Kota Kinabalu Badminton Academy (SKKBA) who represented Sabah at the 2nd West-Lake Miri Open Badminton Championship 2026, which saw the team bag eight gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals.
