Editing Kuching Paintball Open

'''Kuching Paintball Open''' ('''KPO'''), also referred to as the '''Kuching International Paintball Open''', is a tournament paintball competition held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

The tournament is associated with [[Kelab Paintball Mambong]] (KPM) and [[Raskal Sports]]. Its 2019 edition was held alongside the fourth and final leg of the EPS tournament series and attracted 68 teams from Malaysia and overseas.[1][2]

The 2019 competition was held at SMK St. Thomas in Kuching on 31 August and 1 September, coinciding with Malaysia's National Day weekend. It featured five competitive divisions and offered RM38,550 in cash prizes.[1]

The event was described by [[Planet Eclipse]] as an important development in the revival of competitive paintball in Sarawak following a prolonged absence of major tournaments in Kuching.[2]

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Kuching Paintball Open
|-
! Name
| Kuching Paintball Open
|-
! Abbreviation
| KPO
|-
! Alternative name
| Kuching International Paintball Open
|-
! Sport
| [[Paintball]]
|-
! Discipline
| Tournament paintball
|-
! Country
| Malaysia
|-
! Location
| Kuching, Sarawak
|-
! Known venue
| SMK St. Thomas
|-
! First held
| Not established
|-
! Documented edition
| 2019
|-
! Organiser
| [[Kelab Paintball Mambong]]
|-
! Co-presenter
| [[Raskal Sports]]
|-
! Associated series
| EPS
|-
! Divisions in 2019
| Open, Amateur, Novice, Classic and Rookie
|-
! Teams in 2019
| 68
|-
! Prize money in 2019
| RM38,550
|}

== History ==

=== Background ===

Competitive paintball developed in Sarawak during the 2000s, with teams participating in local and national tournaments.

According to a September 2019 report in ''Utusan Borneo'', organised paintball had been established in Sarawak since at least 2007, with teams from the state competing nationally and internationally.[1]

However, major tournament activity in Kuching declined during the following years.

A contemporary report published by Planet Eclipse described the 2019 Kuching Paintball Open as the first paintball tournament held in Kuching for approximately ten years.[2]

The event formed part of efforts by local organisers to restore competitive tournament paintball in Sarawak.

=== Relationship to the EPS series ===

The 2019 Kuching Paintball Open was held in conjunction with the fourth and final leg of the EPS tournament series.

The event was supported by Proshar and Planet Eclipse.

Planet Eclipse described the EPS series as being in its fifth season in 2019.[2]

The tournament therefore served both as a standalone international competition and as the finale of an established regional series.

The five-season history refers to the EPS series and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the Kuching Paintball Open itself had been held annually since 2015.

== 2019 edition ==

=== Organisation ===

The 2019 Kuching Paintball Open was organised by [[Kelab Paintball Mambong]] and co-presented by [[Raskal Sports]].

The competition took place on 31 August and 1 September at the playing grounds of SMK St. Thomas in Kuching.[1]

The tournament was held during Malaysia's National Day holiday period.

The organisers included five competition divisions, allowing experienced tournament teams and developing players to participate.

=== Participation ===

The event attracted 68 teams.

''Utusan Borneo'' identified participants from Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Labuan, Brunei, Australia and Singapore.[1]

Planet Eclipse also reported participation by players from Indonesia and Thailand.[2]

The competition included a substantial number of Sarawak-based teams, alongside visiting teams from other Malaysian states and neighbouring countries.

The organisers offered RM38,550 in total cash prizes.

Contemporary reporting described the event as one of the largest paintball tournaments held in Malaysia during that period.

=== Competition divisions ===

Five divisions were contested:

{| class="wikitable"
! Division
! Description
|-
| Open
| Principal competitive division
|-
| Amateur
| Competition for amateur tournament teams
|-
| Novice
| Development division
|-
| Classic
| Mechanical-marker competition restricted to Borneo teams
|-
| Rookie
| Entry-level competition restricted to Borneo teams
|}

The Classic and Rookie divisions used an M5 format.

According to Planet Eclipse, the two categories were introduced to encourage participation by newer local teams.[2]

== Results ==

=== Open Division ===

The Open Division final was contested between [[Raskal Malaysia]] and [[Nemesis Legion]], both based in Kuala Lumpur.

Raskal defeated Nemesis Legion to win the tournament.

Planet Eclipse reported that Raskal won the fourth leg of the EPS series, while Nemesis Legion secured the overall 2019 season championship.[2]

The Open Division final was attended by Sarawak minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

=== Full divisional results ===

The following results were published by ''Utusan Borneo'' on 5 September 2019.[1]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Division
! 1st place
! 2nd place
! 3rd place
! 4th place
|-
| Open
| [[Raskal Malaysia]]
| [[Nemesis Legion]]
| Mud Legion
| EJPC
|-
| Amateur
| Cranky Waxers
| Kelab Paintball Kidurong (KPK)
| GC Blade
| Devastation
|-
| Novice
| Hornet Waxers
| Borneo Legion Aisawan
| Politeknik Malaysia – PKB Jr.
| Valhalla
|-
| Classic
| Ibra Waxers
| PPS Old Boys
| The Cops
| Chaos Bandits
|-
| Rookie
| Mambong Star
| Unlimited
| Hellycans B
| The Prodigies
|}

Some team names were styled differently in contemporary reporting. Planet Eclipse, for example, used the spellings Cranky Waxerz, Hornet Waxerz and Ibra Waxerz.

=== Season championships ===

The EPS season championship results were distinct from the individual Kuching tournament results.

Planet Eclipse identified Nemesis Legion as the 2019 overall Open Division champion.

It also reported that Cranky Waxerz secured the overall Amateur Division championship and Hornet Waxerz won the overall Novice Division championship.[2]

These season titles should not be confused with the individual divisional victories at the Kuching Paintball Open.

== Development divisions ==

=== Classic Division ===

The Classic Division was introduced as a mechanical paintball category for teams from Borneo.

The competition used an M5 format.

The organisers supplied [[Planet Eclipse]] EMEK mechanical markers and PAL loaders for players who did not own suitable equipment.[2]

The use of loan equipment reduced the need for new teams to purchase their own markers before participating.

Ibra Waxers won the division, followed by PPS Old Boys, The Cops and Chaos Bandits.

=== Rookie Division ===

The Rookie Division was also restricted to Borneo-based teams and used an M5 format.

According to Planet Eclipse, participants used Planet Eclipse ETEK5 electronic markers operating in semi-automatic mode.[2]

Mambong Star won the division.

Unlimited finished second, followed by Hellycans B and The Prodigies.

=== New player participation ===

The inclusion of Classic and Rookie categories was intended to encourage participation by newer players and teams.

The Cops, a team whose members had reportedly begun competitive paintball earlier in 2019, finished third in the Classic Division.

Planet Eclipse highlighted the team's development and its use of mechanical equipment during training and competition.[2]

The tournament's development categories were particularly relevant to Sarawak, where major competitive paintball events had been limited during the preceding decade.

== Tournament organisation ==

=== Kelab Paintball Mambong ===

[[Kelab Paintball Mambong]] was the principal organiser of the 2019 Kuching Paintball Open.

The club operates a paintball facility in the Mambong area near Kuching and has been involved in recreational and competitive paintball activities in Sarawak.

The tournament represented one of the club's documented international event organisation activities.

Morshidi Abdullah was identified as president of Kelab Paintball Mambong during the 2019 competition.[2]

=== Raskal Sports ===

[[Raskal Sports]] was a co-presenter of the tournament.

The company is a Malaysian paintball equipment distributor, retailer and tournament organiser based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Raskal Sports supported the event's organisation and was associated with several participating teams.

Planet Eclipse identified Cranky Waxerz and Hornet Waxerz as Raskal Sports-sponsored teams.[2]

=== Planet Eclipse and Proshar ===

The 2019 competition was held in conjunction with an EPS series event supported by Proshar and Planet Eclipse.

Planet Eclipse provided equipment support and published a detailed report on the tournament.

Its report stated that all five divisional winners used Planet Eclipse markers.[2]

The manufacturer also documented the use of loan equipment in the Classic and Rookie divisions.

== Closing ceremony ==

The tournament's closing ceremony was attended by Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak's Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports.

He attended the Open Division final and presented awards to the winners.

Kelab Paintball Mambong president Morshidi Abdullah also participated in the closing ceremony.[1][2]

The involvement of state officials reflected the event's role in promoting sport and tourism in Sarawak.

== Historical significance ==

The 2019 Kuching Paintball Open was an important event in the re-establishment of major tournament paintball competition in Kuching.

Its 68-team entry brought together players from Sarawak, other Malaysian states and neighbouring countries.

The event also demonstrated the capacity of Sarawak-based organisers to stage a tournament with multiple divisions and international participation.

The introduction of mechanical and rookie categories created opportunities for newer players to compete without requiring the same equipment investment as established tournament teams.

The event's association with the EPS series connected local player development with an established competitive tournament structure.

It also demonstrated cooperation between Kelab Paintball Mambong, Raskal Sports, equipment manufacturers and Sarawak's sporting community.

== Timeline ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Development
|-
| Before 2019
| Competitive paintball established in Sarawak, but major tournaments in Kuching become less frequent
|-
| 2019
| Kuching Paintball Open organised as part of the EPS fourth-leg finale
|-
| 31 August 2019
| Tournament begins at SMK St. Thomas, Kuching
|-
| 1 September 2019
| Tournament concludes with 68 participating teams
|-
| 1 September 2019
| Raskal defeats Nemesis Legion in the Open Division final
|-
| 1 September 2019
| Cranky Waxerz, Hornet Waxerz, Ibra Waxerz and Mambong Star win their respective divisions
|-
| 5 September 2019
| ''Utusan Borneo'' publishes the complete divisional results
|-
| 21 September 2019
| Planet Eclipse publishes its tournament report
|}

== See also ==

* [[Paintball in Malaysia]]
* [[Paintball in Sarawak]]
* [[Paintball in Asia]]
* [[Kelab Paintball Mambong]]
* [[Raskal Sports]]
* [[Raskal Malaysia]]
* [[Nemesis Legion]]
* [[Kelab Paintball Kidurong]]
* [[Sarawak Paintball League]]
* [[Planet Eclipse]]
* [[Mechanical paintball]]

== References ==

# [https://www.utusanborneo.com.my/2019/09/05/paintball-terbuka-kuching-berjaya-tarik-68-penyertaan "Paintball Terbuka Kuching berjaya tarik 68 penyertaan"], ''Utusan Borneo'', 5 September 2019. Contemporary report documenting the organisers, venue, participation, prize money and complete divisional results.
# [https://eclipsehq.blogspot.com/2019/09/is-paintball-back-in-malaysia.html "Is Paintball BACK in Malaysia???"], Planet Eclipse HQ Blog, 21 September 2019. Tournament report documenting the EPS series connection, international participation, competition formats, equipment support and season championship results.
# [https://kokupkb.blogspot.com/2019/09/team-paintball-pkb-mendapat-tempat.html "Team Paintball PKB Mendapat Tempat Ketiga Grandfinal EPS 2019 Kuching International Paintball Open"], Politeknik Kota Bharu, 23 September 2019. Institutional report confirming participation by 68 teams and the third-place Novice Division finish of the Politeknik Kota Bharu team.

== External links ==

* [https://www.utusanborneo.com.my/2019/09/05/paintball-terbuka-kuching-berjaya-tarik-68-penyertaan Kuching Paintball Open 2019 — Utusan Borneo]
* [https://eclipsehq.blogspot.com/2019/09/is-paintball-back-in-malaysia.html Kuching Paintball Open 2019 — Planet Eclipse]
* [https://kokupkb.blogspot.com/2019/09/team-paintball-pkb-mendapat-tempat.html Politeknik Kota Bharu tournament report]

[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Paintball in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Paintball in Sarawak]]
[[Category:Paintball in Asia]]
[[Category:Sport in Kuching]]
[[Category:2019 in Malaysian sport]]