|
|
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) |
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| | The '''2004 Nation Cup''', also reported as '''Malaysia's Nations Cup''', was an international five-player paintball tournament held in December 2004 at [[Xtion Paintball Park]]'s Sunway Extreme Park venue, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Eighteen teams competed, with '''Tsunami''' winning ahead of '''Xtreme Paintball Philippines''', '''Demonz''' and '''Manawave'''.[1][2] |
|
| |
|
| '''Nation Cup 2004''' was an international tournament paintball competition held in December 2004 at [[Xtion Paintball Park]] in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Organised by Galactec and Xtion Paintball, it is recognised in Malaysian paintball histories as the country's first international paintball tournament. [1]
| | The event was organised by Galactec and Xtion Paintball and was subsequently described by Xtion as a pilot project for larger international competitions.[2][3] |
|
| |
|
| The competition was an early milestone in the development of international tournament paintball in Southeast Asia. It preceded the [[Asia Pacific Paintball Championship]] (APPC) in 2005 and [[Paintball World Cup Asia]] in 2006, and was organised by people associated with the subsequent development of the [[Paintball Asia League Series]] (PALS). [2]
| | == Venue and format == |
| | Contemporary coverage by Dave "Landshark" Norman in ''Action Pursuit Games'' placed the tournament at Sunway Extreme Park. Competition used two inflatable-bunker fields for five-player speedball.[1] |
|
| |
|
| {| class="wikitable"
| | The layouts featured approximately three bunkers per player. One field incorporated a large X-shaped bunker laid on its side, while the other had two snake bunkers.[1] |
| |+ Nation Cup 2004
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Event
| |
| | Nation Cup 2004
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Date
| |
| | December 2004
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Venue
| |
| | [[Xtion Paintball Park]]
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Location
| |
| | National Sports Complex, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Organisers
| |
| | Galactec and Xtion Paintball
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Sport
| |
| | Tournament paintball
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Successor
| |
| | [[Asia Pacific Paintball Championship]] (2005)
| |
| |}
| |
| | |
| == Background ==
| |
| | |
| === Development of paintball in Malaysia ===
| |
| | |
| Organised paintball began expanding in Malaysia during the early 2000s, with the establishment of commercial playing facilities, competitive teams and domestic tournaments.
| |
| | |
| Xtion Paintball Park was established in 2003 at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. The facility became an important venue for the development of tournament paintball in Malaysia, hosting domestic competitions and subsequently several major international events. [3]
| |
| | |
| During 2004, Malaysian paintball organisations held competitions in Kuala Lumpur, Perlis, Kedah and Selangor. These events included the Road to Malaysian Paintball Championship tournaments, the Kuala Lumpur Open, the Perlis Paintball Tournament and the Sintok Super 5. [1]
| |
| | |
| Although Malaysian teams had already begun travelling internationally, the country had not yet established a major international tournament of its own.
| |
| | |
| === Establishment of Nation Cup ===
| |
| | |
| Nation Cup 2004 was organised by Galactec and Xtion Paintball as an international tournament intended to bring overseas teams to Malaysia.
| |
| | |
| A historical account by Allan Phang identifies the competition as an initiative proposed by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, then Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Tourism. [2]
| |
| | |
| The organisers invited international teams from the Asia-Pacific region to participate in what Xtion Paintball later described as a pilot project for the development of larger international competitions. [4]
| |
| | |
| The event was intended to demonstrate that Malaysia could host international tournament paintball and to establish relationships with teams, officials and organisers from other countries.
| |
| | |
| == The tournament ==
| |
| | |
| === Venue ===
| |
| | |
| Nation Cup was held at Xtion Paintball Park within the National Sports Complex at Bukit Jalil.
| |
| | |
| Xtion was one of Malaysia's early dedicated tournament paintball venues. Its facilities included inflatable-bunker playing fields suitable for competitive paintball.
| |
| | |
| A WARPIG international paintball directory entry dated 28 November 2005 independently identified Xtion Paintball Park as a host and organiser of Nation Cup 2004, the Asia Pacific Paintball Championship and the Malaysian Paintball Operators Circuit. [6]
| |
| | |
| === Contemporary tournament coverage ===
| |
| | |
| The June 2005 issue of ''Action Pursuit Games'' included a report titled "Paintball in Malaysia", documenting an international paintball tournament held at Xtion.
| |
| | |
| The surviving pages provide detailed descriptions of the competition, its playing fields, refereeing, tournament structure and participating teams. However, the opening page of the report has not been recovered, and its identification as Nation Cup 2004 remains provisional. [5]
| |
| | |
| The report described two inflatable X-Ball fields constructed by Xtion. Each featured approximately three bunkers per player, creating dense layouts that encouraged close-range engagements.
| |
| | |
| One field incorporated a large X-shaped bunker positioned on its side, while the other featured two snake bunkers. | |
| | |
| The tournament took place in difficult weather conditions, with heavy rain affecting the playing fields.
| |
| | |
| === Competition format ===
| |
| | |
| According to the June 2005 ''Action Pursuit Games'' report, the tournament used a two-day competition structure.
| |
| | |
| Saturday's games were used to rank the participating teams for reseeding.
| |
| | |
| On Sunday, teams were divided into groups and played additional qualifying matches. The top eight teams then advanced to single-elimination playoffs.
| |
| | |
| The report stated that teams were required to play eight further games on Sunday before the playoffs, causing frustration among players already fatigued from Saturday's competition.
| |
| | |
| The format was partly intended to make the tournament easier for spectators and television audiences to understand. [5]
| |
| | |
| === Refereeing ===
| |
| | |
| Russell "Rulebook" Smith, a director of The UK Refs, served as head referee at the tournament documented in ''Action Pursuit Games''.
| |
| | |
| Smith explained the competition format to players following concerns about the Sunday schedule.
| |
| | |
| The magazine also reported improvements in refereeing between Saturday and Sunday. [5]
| |
| | |
| === Playing conditions and organisation ===
| |
| | |
| The tournament documented in ''Action Pursuit Games'' experienced scheduling difficulties, heavy rainfall and player fatigue.
| |
| | |
| A delayed players' bus disrupted the start of competition, while organisers used public-address announcements to coordinate matches.
| |
|
| |
|
| The report described a British player collapsing from heat exhaustion and several teams running out of paintballs during competition. | | At the Friday opening gathering, the eighteen teams were drawn into two groups. Saturday's games established rankings for reseeding, followed by further qualifying games on Sunday. The top eight teams advanced to elimination playoffs, with the championship decided through a best-of-three final.[1] |
|
| |
|
| Four teams withdrew from the tournament. Two withdrew because of physical and financial exhaustion, while another two withdrew before the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, citing fatigue and their limited prospects of reaching the finals. [5]
| | == Players and officials == |
| | Twelve local teams participated alongside overseas entries. The APG report stated that the local teams used rental markers, predominantly mechanical Spyder TLX markers, with some field-sponsored teams using other equipment.[1] |
|
| |
|
| Despite these difficulties, the event provided experience for Malaysian organisers and referees in conducting international paintball competitions.
| | Visiting [[San Diego Dynasty|Dynasty]] players Richard Loughran, [[Oliver Lang|Ollie Lang]] and Yosh Rau joined members of the British team Phoenix for clinics and exhibition play before the tournament. Kuala Lumpur team El Bandito was among those that played against the visiting professionals.[1] |
|
| |
|
| == International participation ==
| | Referees from '''The UK Refs''' travelled from London to officiate. Russell "Rulebook" Smith served as head referee. APG reported that more than sixty referees received training under Smith and The UK Refs during the visit.[1] |
|
| |
|
| Nation Cup 2004 was organised to attract international teams to Malaysia and establish relationships within the Asia-Pacific paintball community.
| | == Competition == |
| | The tournament experienced transport delays, hot conditions and rain. APG reported that a British player suffered heat exhaustion and several teams exhausted their paint supplies.[1] |
|
| |
|
| Xtion Paintball's historical account confirms that overseas teams were invited to participate in the competition. [4]
| | The Sunday qualification programme required another eight games before the playoffs. Four teams withdrew during the competition, with the report citing fatigue, expense and limited prospects of qualifying among their reasons.[1] |
|
| |
|
| The complete entry list and official final standings have not been recovered from available online sources. | | === Finals === |
| | The semi-finals paired Tsunami against Demonz and Manawave against Xtreme Paintball Philippines. Tsunami and Xtreme Paintball Philippines advanced to the championship match, while Demonz defeated Manawave for third place.[1] |
|
| |
|
| The June 2005 ''Action Pursuit Games'' report identifies several teams participating in a Malaysian international tournament, including Xtreme Paintball Philippines, Demonz and Tsunami. These teams cannot yet be conclusively attributed to Nation Cup 2004 because the opening page of the report is unavailable. [5]
| | Xtreme Paintball Philippines won the opening game of the final. Tsunami recovered to win the next two games and take the championship.[1] |
|
| |
|
| == Results == | | == Results == |
|
| |
| A complete official results table for Nation Cup 2004 has not yet been located.
| |
|
| |
| The June 2005 ''Action Pursuit Games'' report contains photograph captions identifying Xtreme Paintball Philippines as finishing second and Demonz as finishing third in the competition it covered.
| |
|
| |
| {| class="wikitable" | | {| class="wikitable" |
| |+ Provisional results from contemporary magazine coverage
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Position | | ! Position |
| ! Team | | ! Team |
| ! Notes
| |
| |- | | |- |
| | 1st | | | 1 |
| | Not established | | | Tsunami |
| | Winner not identified in surviving pages
| |
| |- | | |- |
| | 2nd | | | 2 |
| | Xtreme Paintball Philippines | | | Xtreme Paintball Philippines |
| | Identified in magazine photograph caption
| |
| |- | | |- |
| | 3rd | | | 3 |
| | Demonz | | | Demonz |
| | Identified in magazine photograph caption | | |- |
| | | 4 |
| | | Manawave |
| |} | | |} |
|
| |
|
| These results should not be regarded as confirmed Nation Cup 2004 standings until the magazine report can be definitively linked to the event. [5]
| | Source: the results panel and match report in ''Action Pursuit Games'', June 2005.[1] |
| | |
| == Organisation and officials ==
| |
| | |
| Nation Cup 2004 was organised by Galactec and Xtion Paintball.
| |
| | |
| The involvement of these organisations is documented in a Malaysian paintball historical account published in September 2009. [1]
| |
| | |
| A WARPIG directory listing from November 2005 also identifies Xtion Paintball Park as a host and organiser of the tournament. [6]
| |
| | |
| A 2009 corporate document identifies Malaysian businessman En Haniff as having participated in the organisation of Nation Cup 2004 and the Asia Pacific Paintball Championship 2005. [7]
| |
| | |
| The tournament was associated with efforts to secure government support for paintball and promote Malaysia as a destination for international sporting events.
| |
| | |
| == Development of the Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit ==
| |
| | |
| The [[Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit]] (MPOC) was announced during Nation Cup 2004, according to the historical account published by Allan Phang. [2]
| |
| | |
| The circuit was intended to provide Malaysian teams with a regular domestic competition structure and support the development of competitive paintball.
| |
| | |
| MPOC subsequently became one of Malaysia's established tournament circuits.
| |
| | |
| The development of domestic competition helped provide a foundation for Malaysian teams entering international events.
| |
| | |
| == Asia Pacific Paintball Championship 2005 ==
| |
| | |
| During Nation Cup 2004, organisers announced plans for the [[Asia Pacific Paintball Championship]] (APPC), scheduled for the following year.
| |
| | |
| The APPC was intended to build upon Nation Cup by attracting more international teams, sponsors, professional players and media organisations.
| |
| | |
| The championship began on 30 September 2005.
| |
| | |
| According to the organisers, the 2005 event attracted more than 80 teams from over ten countries and included appearances by American professional teams Dynasty, the Ironmen and Legacy. [4]
| |
| | |
| The APPC received support from Malaysian government bodies and international paintball industry sponsors, including Dye Precision, Kingman, Sup'Airball, MacDev and Brass Eagle. [2]
| |
| | |
| The event represented a substantial expansion of the international tournament concept first tested through Nation Cup.
| |
| | |
| == Development of Paintball Asia League Series ==
| |
| | |
| The organisers of Nation Cup 2004 and APPC 2005 subsequently developed the [[Paintball Asia League Series]].
| |
| | |
| PALS expanded international tournament competition beyond Malaysia, with events later held in Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines and affiliated competitions in Singapore and Indonesia. [8]
| |
| | |
| The series helped establish regular international competition opportunities for teams from across Asia and the Pacific.
| |
| | |
| In November 2005, Xtion Paintball Park was already described in the WARPIG directory as the headquarters of the forthcoming PALS circuit for 2006. [6]
| |
| | |
| == Paintball World Cup Asia ==
| |
| | |
| The development of Nation Cup and APPC was followed by the inaugural [[Paintball World Cup Asia]] in 2006.
| |
| | |
| World Cup Asia became a major international tournament associated with PALS, attracting teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe and North America.
| |
| | |
| Later editions were held in Langkawi, Malaysia, where the event developed into a major international paintball competition and industry gathering.
| |
| | |
| PALS organisers subsequently identified Nation Cup 2004, APPC 2005 and World Cup Asia 2006 as successive milestones in the development of international tournament paintball in Malaysia. [8]
| |
| | |
| == Historical significance ==
| |
| | |
| Nation Cup 2004 is recognised as an early milestone in the development of international tournament paintball in Asia.
| |
| | |
| It was identified by Malaysian paintball historians as the country's first international tournament and was subsequently described by its organisers as a pilot project for larger competitions.
| |
| | |
| The event demonstrated the feasibility of hosting overseas teams in Malaysia and helped establish relationships between local organisers, international players and paintball officials.
| |
|
| |
|
| Its principal legacy was the development of a sequence of increasingly ambitious international competitions, including APPC 2005 and World Cup Asia 2006.
| | == Organisation and support == |
| | APG listed Galactec and Malaysia Airlines as presenting organisations. Malaysia Airlines also served as the official airline, while the Summit Hotel accommodated visiting participants and hosted tournament gatherings.[1] |
|
| |
|
| The tournament also coincided with the formalisation of domestic Malaysian tournament paintball through the Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit. | | The report identified Tourism Malaysia and the Selangor Tourism Action Council as collaborating organisations.[1] |
|
| |
|
| == Distinction from other Nations Cup competitions == | | == Subsequent development == |
| | According to a later organiser's account published by Allan Phang, the [[Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit]] was launched during Nation Cup and plans for the 2005 [[Asia Pacific Paintball Championship]] were announced.[4] |
|
| |
|
| Nation Cup 2004 was an independently organised Malaysian international tournament. | | Xtion's retrospective described Nation Cup as the pilot project preceding the larger 2005 championship.[3] |
| | |
| It should not be confused with the Nations Cup held as part of the 2002 Diablo International Amateur Open in the United States, or with the later national-team championships organised by the [[United Paintball Federation]].
| |
| | |
| The Malaysian event preceded the establishment of the UPBF and was not part of its modern World Championship programme.
| |
| | |
| == See also ==
| |
| | |
| * [[Asia Pacific Paintball Championship]]
| |
| * [[Paintball Asia League Series]]
| |
| * [[Paintball World Cup Asia]]
| |
| * [[Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit]]
| |
| * [[Xtion Paintball Park]]
| |
| * [[Paintball in Malaysia]]
| |
| * [[Paintball in Asia]]
| |
|
| |
|
| == References == | | == References == |
| | # Dave "Landshark" Norman, "Malaysia's Nations Cup", ''Action Pursuit Games'', June 2005, pp. 178–187. Contemporary eyewitness report and photographs, including the results panel on p. 181 and finals coverage on pp. 184–187. |
| | # [https://roslimabu.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/history-of-paintball-in-malaysia/ History of Paintball in Malaysia], Roslim Abu, ''Tool Box'', 7 September 2009. Identifies Galactec and Xtion Paintball as organisers and dates the event to December 2004. |
| | # [https://xtionpaintball.wordpress.com/media-coverage/ Media Coverage], Xtion Paintball Park. Retrospective account describing Nation Cup as the pilot project preceding APPC 2005. |
| | # [https://vimeo.com/27469918 The Birth of PALS and Paintball World Cup Asia — Historical Origins], Allan Phang, 9 August 2011. Organiser's retrospective account accompanying the video. |
|
| |
|
| # [https://roslimabu.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/history-of-paintball-in-malaysia/ "History of Paintball in Malaysia"], Rosli Mabu, 7 September 2009.
| | [[Category:Paintball tournaments in Malaysia]] |
| # [https://vimeo.com/27469918 "The Birth of PALS and Paintball World Cup Asia: Historical Origins"], Allan Phang, Vimeo.
| | [[Category:Paintball tournament results]] |
| # [https://xtionpaintball.wordpress.com/about/ "About Xtion Paintball Park"], Xtion Paintball Park.
| | [[Category:Paintball in Selangor]] |
| # [https://xtionpaintball.wordpress.com/media-coverage/ "Media Coverage"], Xtion Paintball Park.
| |
| # "Paintball in Malaysia", ''Action Pursuit Games'', June 2005, pp. 182–183. Contemporary magazine report; exact event identification not yet confirmed.
| |
| # [https://www.warpig.com/forums/fields/index/pg_Asia.shtml "Asia Paintball Field Directory"], WARPIG, historical listing dated 28 November 2005.
| |
| # [https://lib.nus.edu.sg/nus_hl/yikon2009.pdf "Corporate Annual Report 2009"], National University of Singapore digital collection.
| |
| # [https://p8ball4life.blogspot.com/2012/10/paintball-world-cup-asia-2012.html "Paintball World Cup Asia 2012"], historical PALS promotional material, October 2012.
| |
| | |
| == External links ==
| |
| | |
| * [https://xtionpaintball.wordpress.com/ Xtion Paintball Park]
| |
| * [https://vimeo.com/27469918 The Birth of PALS and Paintball World Cup Asia]
| |
| * [https://roslimabu.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/history-of-paintball-in-malaysia/ History of Paintball in Malaysia]
| |
| * [https://www.warpig.com/forums/fields/index/pg_Asia.shtml WARPIG historical Asia paintball field directory]
| |
| | |
| [[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
| |
| [[Category:International paintball tournaments]]
| |
| [[Category:Paintball in Malaysia]] | |
| [[Category:Paintball in Asia]] | |
| [[Category:2004 in paintball]] | | [[Category:2004 in paintball]] |
| | [[Category:2000s in Malaysian paintball]] |
The 2004 Nation Cup, also reported as Malaysia's Nations Cup, was an international five-player paintball tournament held in December 2004 at Xtion Paintball Park's Sunway Extreme Park venue, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Eighteen teams competed, with Tsunami winning ahead of Xtreme Paintball Philippines, Demonz and Manawave.[1][2]
The event was organised by Galactec and Xtion Paintball and was subsequently described by Xtion as a pilot project for larger international competitions.[2][3]
Contemporary coverage by Dave "Landshark" Norman in Action Pursuit Games placed the tournament at Sunway Extreme Park. Competition used two inflatable-bunker fields for five-player speedball.[1]
The layouts featured approximately three bunkers per player. One field incorporated a large X-shaped bunker laid on its side, while the other had two snake bunkers.[1]
At the Friday opening gathering, the eighteen teams were drawn into two groups. Saturday's games established rankings for reseeding, followed by further qualifying games on Sunday. The top eight teams advanced to elimination playoffs, with the championship decided through a best-of-three final.[1]
Players and officials
[edit]Twelve local teams participated alongside overseas entries. The APG report stated that the local teams used rental markers, predominantly mechanical Spyder TLX markers, with some field-sponsored teams using other equipment.[1]
Visiting Dynasty players Richard Loughran, Ollie Lang and Yosh Rau joined members of the British team Phoenix for clinics and exhibition play before the tournament. Kuala Lumpur team El Bandito was among those that played against the visiting professionals.[1]
Referees from The UK Refs travelled from London to officiate. Russell "Rulebook" Smith served as head referee. APG reported that more than sixty referees received training under Smith and The UK Refs during the visit.[1]
The tournament experienced transport delays, hot conditions and rain. APG reported that a British player suffered heat exhaustion and several teams exhausted their paint supplies.[1]
The Sunday qualification programme required another eight games before the playoffs. Four teams withdrew during the competition, with the report citing fatigue, expense and limited prospects of qualifying among their reasons.[1]
The semi-finals paired Tsunami against Demonz and Manawave against Xtreme Paintball Philippines. Tsunami and Xtreme Paintball Philippines advanced to the championship match, while Demonz defeated Manawave for third place.[1]
Xtreme Paintball Philippines won the opening game of the final. Tsunami recovered to win the next two games and take the championship.[1]
| Position
|
Team
|
| 1
|
Tsunami
|
| 2
|
Xtreme Paintball Philippines
|
| 3
|
Demonz
|
| 4
|
Manawave
|
Source: the results panel and match report in Action Pursuit Games, June 2005.[1]
Organisation and support
[edit]APG listed Galactec and Malaysia Airlines as presenting organisations. Malaysia Airlines also served as the official airline, while the Summit Hotel accommodated visiting participants and hosted tournament gatherings.[1]
The report identified Tourism Malaysia and the Selangor Tourism Action Council as collaborating organisations.[1]
Subsequent development
[edit]According to a later organiser's account published by Allan Phang, the Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit was launched during Nation Cup and plans for the 2005 Asia Pacific Paintball Championship were announced.[4]
Xtion's retrospective described Nation Cup as the pilot project preceding the larger 2005 championship.[3]
- Dave "Landshark" Norman, "Malaysia's Nations Cup", Action Pursuit Games, June 2005, pp. 178–187. Contemporary eyewitness report and photographs, including the results panel on p. 181 and finals coverage on pp. 184–187.
- History of Paintball in Malaysia, Roslim Abu, Tool Box, 7 September 2009. Identifies Galactec and Xtion Paintball as organisers and dates the event to December 2004.
- Media Coverage, Xtion Paintball Park. Retrospective account describing Nation Cup as the pilot project preceding APPC 2005.
- The Birth of PALS and Paintball World Cup Asia — Historical Origins, Allan Phang, 9 August 2011. Organiser's retrospective account accompanying the video.
