FRESH from an impressive showing at the 18th edition of the GEMAPUTERA Games (GEMAPUTERA XVIII Sarawak 2026), the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) contingent is now shifting its focus towards an even bigger challenge, the Statutory Bodies Associations Championship (Sukanun) next year.
PDC Corporate Communications Unit chief Zulkifli Ismail said the corporation is determined to build on its recent success by making early preparations for Sukanun, a tournament that features a much larger pool of competitors from across the country.
Speaking to Buletin Mutiara during an interview at the PDC headquarters in Bayan Lepas, Zulkifli described the corporation’s performance in Sarawak as a proud achievement that reflected the commitment and teamwork of its employees.
Held in July, GEMAPUTERA XVIII Sarawak 2026 brought together more than 1,000 athletes and officials representing 13 State Economic Development Corporations (SEDCs) and one Federal Territory contingent in a week-long biennial sporting carnival.
The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) emerged as the overall champion, followed by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), while PDC secured an impressive third-place finish among the 14 competing contingents.
The tournament featured eight sporting events namely badminton, futsal, pickleball, netball, carrom, e-sports, golf and bowling.
According to Zulkifli, PDC sent a contingent of approximately 130 athletes, all of whom were employees of the corporation.
“We fielded about 130 staff members across seven sports. We did not participate in e-sports, and all of our athletes were PDC employees. We did not recruit any outside players.
“Overall, we won four gold medals, one silver and one bronze,” he said.
PDC successfully defended two gold medals it had won previously when it hosted the last edition of the games, with victories in the badminton and netball team events.
The remaining two gold medals came through bowling, courtesy of the men’s singles and men’s doubles categories. PDC also claimed a silver medal in the bowling mixed doubles event, while its pickleball team contributed a bronze medal.
Buoyed by the encouraging results, Zulkifli said the contingent has already turned its attention to Sukanun, which is expected to be held in Shah Alam next year.
“Compared with GEMAPUTERA, Sukanun is on a much bigger scale. GEMAPUTERA only involves the State Economic Development Corporations, but Sukanun brings together statutory bodies, state development corporations, universities and local authorities from across the country.
“So naturally, the level of competition is much higher, and we will begin our preparations early to ensure we are ready,” he said.
PDC also has encouraging memories from the previous Sukanun in 2025, where its netball team finished as runners-up after narrowly losing to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in the final.
For the upcoming edition, the corporation hopes not only to improve its overall medal tally but also to expand its participation.
“In the last Sukanun, we only competed in five sports. For the next edition, we are looking at participating in more events.
“Our target is definitely to win more medals than before,” Zulkifli added.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis