Thai SEA Games stars deny Dipec 1 glorious three-peat at 3rd Malaysia International Petanque Doubles

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Dipec 1 were denied a historic third consecutive title after going down 13-8 to Thailand’s Sai Buri Team 2 in the final of the 3rd Malaysia International Petanque Doubles 2026 at Arena Petanque Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Mohd Nuzul Azwan and Mohd Shah Ismail had entered the tournament chasing a remarkable three-peat after emerging champions in both the 2024 and 2025 editions, but were ultimately stopped by Thailand national players Thanawan Toosewha and Phongsakron Ainpu.

Thanawan and Phongsakron, who were part of Thailand’s SEA Games squad that emerged overall champions in petanque last year, walked away with the RM20,000 top prize following an impressive campaign throughout the three-day tournament.

Dipec 1 settled for RM10,000 as runners-up.

Another Thai pair, Piyabut Chamchoi-Wanchana Phueakaiam of Sai Buri Team 1, secured third place and RM5,000. Piyabut was also part of Thailand’s SEA Games contingent last year.

Malaysia’s MIG 1 represented by Muhammad Aliff Syazwan and Muhammad Izral Ramlan finished fourth to earn RM3,000.

Held from May 8-10, the prestigious tournament attracted a massive field of 192 teams from 10 countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, France, Singapore, Thailand and hosts Malaysia — with competitors battling through a gruelling competition format comprising Swiss qualifying rounds followed by knockout stages.

Sai Buri Team 2 displayed remarkable consistency throughout the tournament, successfully navigating four rounds of Swiss-system qualifying before embarking on a dominant knockout run.

Their title-winning campaign included victories over INDIA-3 (13-2) in the Best 64, DRAGON 2 (13-7) in the Best 32, SENTUL 1 (13-7) in the Best 16, and DW 2 (13-4) in the quarter-finals.

The eventual champions then overcame Sai Buri Team 1 13-6 in an all-Thai semi-final before sealing the title against Dipec 1 in the championship decider.

Dipec 1 had earlier edged compatriots Dipec 2 9-3 in the quarter-finals before defeating MIG 1 13-10 in the semi-finals to secure their place in the final.

The tournament began with four rounds of Swiss-system qualifying matches, where teams were ranked based on wins and tie-break criteria before the top 128 teams progressed into the single-elimination knockout stage.

A total of 512 matches were successfully conducted over the three-day tournament, highlighting both the scale and intensity of this year’s edition as well as the tremendous effort put in by the Malaysian Boules Sports Federation (MBSF) organising committee and technical officials.

From there, teams had to survive seven consecutive knockout matches — from the Best 128 through to the final — in order to lift the championship trophy, making endurance, consistency and mental strength equally crucial throughout the competition.

Prize money was awarded up to the top 32 finishers, further raising the level of competitiveness across the event.

Additional special category honours were also awarded during the tournament, with Malaysia Junior 4 emerging as champions in the Best Women Team category ahead of Malaysia 1 and Malaysia 4.

Meanwhile, Sarawak 2026_2 captured the Best Youth Under-20 Team title, followed by Sarawak 2026_6 as first runners-up and Malaysia Junior 1 in third place.

The special category results further reflected the encouraging growth of women’s and youth participation in the sport, underlining MBSF’s continued efforts in developing the next generation of petanque talent in Malaysia.

MBSF president Cheah Ban Cheng expressed satisfaction with the overall success of the championships and praised the commitment shown by the organising committee, technical officials and volunteers throughout the tournament.

“We are very pleased with the overall standard of competition and the strong participation this year. The tournament continues to grow positively and this reflects the increasing interest and development of petanque both in Malaysia and within the region,” said Cheah.

“The format this year also ensured players were given more competitive matches and valuable exposure before entering the knockout rounds, which ultimately raised the overall quality and intensity of the competition.”

Cheah also commended the efforts of everyone involved in ensuring the smooth running of the tournament despite the demanding schedule involving hundreds of matches across the three days.

“This tournament is not only about winning and losing, but also about strengthening friendships, sportsmanship and unity within the international petanque community. We hope to continue building this tournament into one of the region’s premier petanque events in the years ahead,” he added.

The successful staging of the tournament once again showcased the growing popularity of petanque while providing Malaysian players valuable exposure against strong international opposition.