Sarawak bowling in 2026 has been busy. Kuching hosted the fifth Sarawak Hornbill Team Cup in January, the IBF World Youth Championships in June and July, and the Sarawak International Open in September. Chinese Taipei's Lin Yifeng won the Open Masters, while home bowlers took two other Masters titles. Next, the same centre in Batu Kawa will host the SEA Games bowling in September 2027.
Hornbill Team Cup: five years running
The Hornbill Team Cup opened the Sarawak bowling year, running from 26 to 31 January 2026 at Megalanes Sarawak, according to the ABF calendar. It drew 40 teams from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brunei. At the closing, MTBC secretary Maradona Chok praised the hosts. "For the fifth consecutive year, Abas, together with Megalanes Sarawak and with strong support from the Sarawak Sports Corporation, has successfully hosted the Sarawak Hornbill Team Cup," he told the Borneo Post.
He also said the format lets bowlers play in conditions like the SEA Games, Asian Games and world championships. In addition, he named national bowlers Gillian Lim Siew Giok, Nur Hazirah Ramli and Gordon Tsen Fan Yew as products of Sarawak's programmes. Also, the state's para bowlers had just won 6 gold, 7 silver and 1 bronze for Malaysia at the ASEAN Para Games in Thailand.
World youth in Kuching
Between those two events, Megalanes Sarawak hosted the IBF World Youth Championships from 27 June to 7 July. Malaysia won two golds there, which we cover in our world youth championships report.
Sarawak Open 2026: Lin Yifeng's first international title
The Sarawak International Open, the main open on the Sarawak bowling calendar, ran from 6 to 12 September 2026. Lin was the top seed after the eight-game Masters roll-off with 2,036. Then the top four met in a shootout, where the low score drops out each game. In the final, Lin rolled five strikes in a row early on and beat Phanupong Permpimol 248-187.
| Place | Bowler | Roll-off total | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lin Yifeng (Chinese Taipei) | 2,036 | RM20,000 |
| 2 | Phanupong Permpimol (Thailand) | 1,952 | RM10,000 |
| 3 | Muhammad Noor Hidayat (Malaysia) | 1,912 | RM5,000 |
| 4 | Muhammad Danial Abu Samah (Malaysia) | 1,944 | RM2,500 |
Home wins in the other divisions
Sarawakians won two of the other four Masters titles. Chong Jun Foo of Hero Bowling, the 2024 winner, took his second Classified Masters. Meanwhile, Kuching's Lavina Kho Jia Jie beat Vietnam's Sean Nguyen Phuc Gia Dang 220-205 for the U21 Masters. Penang's Megat Zaqrul Haiqal won the 3DU Masters, and Hong Kong's Ambrose Hon Nga Pok won the Challenger Crown.
| Division | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Classified | Chong Jun Foo (Hero Bowling) | Li Zhen Yu (Chinese Taipei) |
| U21 | Lavina Kho Jia Jie (Sarawak) | Sean Nguyen Phuc Gia Dang (Vietnam) |
| 3DU | Megat Zaqrul Haiqal (Penang) | Izz Naqiuddin Putera |
| Challenger Crown | Ambrose Hon Nga Pok (Hong Kong) | Nur Amirah Ng (Singapore) |
The field was large, too. For Sarawak bowling in 2026, ABF counted 136 bowlers in the Open Division, 124 in Classified, 103 in U21, 69 in Challenger Crown and 122 in 3DU.
Sarawak bowling 2026 and the SEA Games 2027
All this sets up the biggest event yet. Malaysia host the 34th SEA Games from 18 to 29 September 2027, and bowling goes to the Sarawak cluster. The state sports minister, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, named the venue in March 2025. It is Megalanes Sarawak in Batu Kawa. The ABF calendar lists the bowling for 18 to 27 September 2027. Malaysia also topped the bowling medal table at the last SEA Games in Bangkok.
Before then, the Hornbill Team Cup returns from 11 to 16 January 2027, and the Sarawak Open moves to 2 to 8 May 2027. For places to bowl around the state, see our Sarawak bowling alleys guide. You can also find every date on our tournament calendar, and more results on the news page.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Sarawak International Open?
Lin Yifeng of Chinese Taipei won the Open Masters on 12 September 2026, beating Thailand's Phanupong Permpimol 248-187 in the final. It was his first international title, and it paid RM20,000. Malaysians Muhammad Noor Hidayat and Muhammad Danial Abu Samah finished third and fourth.
What is the Sarawak Hornbill Team Cup?
It is a team tournament in Kuching that ABAS and Megalanes Sarawak host with backing from the Sarawak Sports Corporation. The 2026 edition, the fifth in a row, drew 40 teams from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brunei. The 2027 edition runs from 11 to 16 January.
Where will SEA Games 2027 bowling take place?
At Megalanes Sarawak in Batu Kawa, Kuching. Sarawak's sports minister announced this in March 2025, and the ABF calendar lists the bowling for 18 to 27 September 2027. The Games themselves run from 18 to 29 September across four clusters.
When is the next Sarawak International Open?
The ABF calendar lists the 2027 Sarawak International Open for 2 to 8 May 2027 in Kuching. That is earlier than the September slot used in 2026. Check the ABF website or ABAS for entry forms and squad times closer to the date.
Sources
- Borneo Post: MTBC lauds Sarawak's commitment to bowling development (2 Feb 2026)
- ABF: Sarawak International Open 2026, Open Masters (12 Sep 2026)
- ABF: Sarawak Open 2026, Classified Masters
- ABF: Sarawak Open 2026, U21 Masters
- ABF: Sarawak Open 2026, Challenger Crown Masters
- ABF: Sarawak Open 2026, 3DU Masters
- DayakDaily: 2027 SEA Games tenpin bowling among sports to be hosted in Sarawak (28 Mar 2025)
- ABF 2026 and 2027 calendars
- Wikipedia: 2027 SEA Games
