Malaysian Netball Association To Focus On World Youth Cup, AIMAG Next Year

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Netball Association (PBJM) will focus on two international tournaments in 2021 following the event’s omission from the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam. The two tournaments are the Netball World Youth Cup in Fiji from June 10-19, as well as the sixth Asian Indoor Sports and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) from May 21-30 in Thailand. PBJM honorary secretary Zainon Md Noh said the association would be sending a line-up featuring senior and youth players to AIMAG which is set to feature netball for the first time, with the target of emerging as champions. "For the World Junior Championships in Fiji, we aim to improve our ranking from 17th place in the 2017 edition in Botswana, to be among the top 14. "With regard to the SEA Games next year, I understand that Vietnam does not intend to hold the netball event as they do not have players (for the sport)," she told Bernama on Sunday. In another development, Zainon said national senior squad head coach Lisa Ann Beehag of Australia was expected to return to Malaysia once the government reopened the borders to foreign visitors. PBJM had appointed Beehag in February to lead the national squad to face the Asian Netball Championships in Jeonju, South Korea in June this year, however, the tournament was called off following the COVID-19 pandemic. Beehag had returned to Australia in March due to commitments to a netball club there. -- BERNAMA