REGISTRATION is now open for the Chief Minister’s Cup Badminton Tournament 2026, with teams set to compete for a RM10,000 championship prize in the annual tournament aimed at promoting healthy living and community participation in sports.
Lau Keng Ee, who is political-secretary to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, said the championship is jointly organised by the Batu Kawan parliamentary service centre, Padang Kota service centre and Kelab Bola Sepak Timuran.
The tournament will be held on Sept 5 and 6 from 8am to 6pm at the Penang Chinese Recreation Club (CRC), while the prize presentation ceremony and gala dinner will take place from 7pm to 10pm on Sept 13 at Elite House in George Town.
“The championship seeks to encourage people from all walks of life to embrace a healthy lifestyle through sports while providing a platform to identify and nurture promising talents who can progress to higher levels of competition,” he said during a press conference today.
Lau said organisers also hope the tournament’s final edition will be remembered as one of Penang’s prestigious sporting events.
Participation is open to Malaysian citizens aged 21 and above who are residing in Penang.
Participants who are not registered Penang voters must provide supporting documents, such as proof of employment or a student card, to verify that they are living, working or studying in the state.
Each team is allowed to register a maximum of 10 players, including the team captain and reserve players.
The competition will feature four team events: Men’s Doubles Combined Age 65, Men’s Doubles Combined Age 95, Women’s Doubles Open and Mixed Doubles Open.
Players competing in the Combined Age 95 category must be aged 40 years and above.
Former national players and current players representing Malaysia are not eligible to participate in the championship.
However, former players who previously represented Penang are allowed to compete, while current male and female state players representing Penang are not permitted to take part.
“The eligibility and playing status of all participants will be verified by the tournament’s technical committee before registrations are approved,” Lau said.
He added that all matches would be conducted according to the regulations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) as adopted by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
The registration fee is RM1,500 per team.
The champion team will receive RM10,000 in cash, while the runners-up will take home RM7,000. Both losing semi-finalists will receive RM3,000 each.
Lau said the registration fee includes tournament jerseys, admission to the gala dinner and eligibility for the lucky draw, which has traditionally attracted strong participation from players.
Registration will close on July 25 or earlier if all available slots are filled.
“We are targeting between 12 and 16 teams, and participation will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis upon successful submission of documents and payment,” he said.
All participants are invited to attend the prize presentation ceremony and gala dinner on Sept 13 and will be eligible to participate in the lucky draw.
Lau said Chow is expected to officiate the opening ceremony and attend the prize presentation ceremony.
Further details and registration information can be obtained through the QR code provided by the organisers.
Also present at the press conference were organising committee members Wong Le Ye, Koay Ee Tong, Shirlyn Hoe, Johnny Chong, Ong Soon Guan, Teh Yee Teng and Chee Chong Chew, as well as Kelab Bola Sepak Timuran adviser Ooi Peng Oon and vice-chairman Andy Yeap.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Siew Chia En