Bar None

Mirabel Ting has gone through a lot in her short career as a golfer so far, and yet that has not stopped her from reaching greater heights at every turn. Despite losing her dad unexpectedly, she turned pro earlier than expected, after performing exceptionally well at the amateur level, winning the prestigious Annika Award along the way. She joins us on the show to share her journey in golf so far and how she overcomes her personal struggles to become one of the most promising golfers Malaysia has ever produced.Image Credit: Maybank Championship

It was a case of “so near, and yet so far” again for our shuttlers, as Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik came so close to ending our barren spell at the recent Malaysia Open. They fought valiantly, but didn’t manage to stop the reigning world champions from South Korea, Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae. Aaron and Wooi Yik aside, our other shuttlers once again flattered to deceive, with Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah another surprise underperformers. We review the Malaysia Open 2026, and since it’s the beginning of the year, we take this chance to also reflect on how our shuttlers did throughout 2025.Image Credit: noprati somchit / Shutterstock.com

2025 was the year of pickleball, a relatively new sport that's a hybrid of tennis and ping pong, played at a less intense pace than other racquet sports. Pickleball has enjoyed tremendous growth in popularity, with people from all walks of life picking up the paddle to not only have fun, but also socialize with friends, family, and strangers. With pickleball courts now THE place to be for active people, will we see a slowdown soon? Andrew Lee, co-founder of Pickle361, joins us on the show to chart the growth of pickleball here in Malaysia and whether it's here to stay.Image Credit: Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock.com

Hockey is a sport that has a strong foundation and roots in Malaysia, with the Speedy Tigers remaining relatively competitive on the global stage. And yet, despite the sport still being played at the grassroots level in schools, hockey might be facing problems that threaten its future existence in the country. A lack of high-quality next-generation players succeeding our current aging star players is among the challenges we're currently facing. We speak to Aftar Singh, sports journalist from the New Straits Times, to learn more about hockey in Malaysia and where we are at the moment.Image Credit: Perak Hockey Association

Malaysia will be sending its biggest contingent to the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand this month. 1,142 athletes will be representing Malaysia in 50 sports, hoping to better our record at the previous SEA Games, when we finished 7th overall and were unable to meet our gold target. Now, with the target set at 200 medals of any colour - gold, silver, or bronze, can our athletes get us back on track? Sports editor at the New Straits Times, Ajitpal Singh joins us on the show to preview the SEA Games, from a Malaysian perspective.Image Credit: Friko Keiro / Shutterstock.com

The technical director of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation, John Beasley joins us again on Bar None ahead of the SEA Games to discuss how our athletes are preparing for the competition. He also talks about the differences between track cycling and road cycling and why mental preparation is as important, if not more important than physical preparation when athletes head to major competitions.Image Credit: emran / Shutterstock.com

Referees are not technically athletes, but as the people responsible for managing football matches, they need to be fit too. So, what's their fitness routine like? Retired Malaysian referee Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh joins us one last time to share how he trained as a referee and kept himself fit amidst his busy schedule.Image Credit: Dmitriy Prayzel / Shutterstock.com

Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh, a retired Malaysian referee who's now working as a technical instructor with FIFA and others, joins us again for the second half of our chat. He lifts the lid on his trade as a referee, including managing players with big personalities, as well as his thoughts on VAR and whether it's a good addition to the beautiful game.Image Credit: Mikolaj Barbanell / Shutterstock.com

Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh, a former Malaysian referee who, at one point, represented the country as a fourth official at the 2010 World Cup, joins the show to talk about the path he took to become a referee and the nuances of being the man with the whistle—from learning about the tactical side of the game to better manage it, to the cultural differences that need to be taken into account when officiating matches.This is the first part of our chat with Subkhiddin. Tune in next episode to hear how he manages players with big personalities, as well as his thoughts on VAR.Image Credit: Igor Link / Shutterstock.com

We’ve shone the spotlight on sport climbing from a recreational point of view recently, and in this episode, we’re going to look at it from a more competitive angle. Joining us in this episode is Safwan Zainal, the head coach of the national team. He'll discuss our national athletes and where Malaysia stands in the sport, while lifting the curtain on what it’s like to coach at that level and what he focuses on.Image Credit: Safwan Zainal