Tour de Brunei 2012 kicks off

ETA @ Mall Cineplex has brought in extra copies so grab a copy now.. This is more popular than PES 2013 btw. Click image to enter ETA Facebook page

Brunei vs Indonesia friendly

Some will see this as an experimental match especially for the Brunei’s team management point of view since most of their players are not finalised for the upcoming Suzuki Cup in October. Some will see this as a competitive or to an extent, a revenge match, from Indonesia point of view, as they were the beaten finalist in the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2012.

Mind you these aren’t the Under 23 team anymore and this is the real deal though it’s only a friendly international match. Brunei team is under going a few minor challenges especially to the availability of the players from DPMM FC players. Around 8 players are called up for national duty but they haven’t been training with the national team due to the commitment with the S•League. Hence only a handful of DPMM FC players will be playing for Brunei notably Adi Said.

The other challenge that Brunei team is facing is that they are only limited to 5 + 1 goalie substitutes during the match. Mohd Noor of Natioanal Football Association of Brunei Darussalam said that they are following FIFA rules in terms of number of substitutions allowed and rejected Brunei team manager Hj Feisal’s request for additional substitution. This is because this will be Brunei’s first international match with his experimental squad which has yet to be finalised. Hence selection process will be challenging given that they are only allowed 5 substitutes with 20 players to choose from. This would mean that not all Brunei players will be given the chance to play on the pitch.

The organisers advised the public not to bring cans, bottles, banners, flags, poles, umbrellas, fireworks, airhorns, drums, musical instruments and believe it or not, pets *lol* which are printed at the tickets. The security will be beefed up tomorrow night in anticipation of this international friendly match.

The match tickets will be available at all sport complexes at all four districts starting at 8am to 12pm today (Wednesday, 26th September). The other venue is the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium from 8am to match time. The ticket prices are $5 and $8.

Good luck to all the players and let’s hope for a good harmonious match tonight.

Representatives from Indonesia thanking NFABD for inviting them

There was a briefing for both Indonesia and Brunei

Hj Taha taking a photo opportunity

Team Captain for Indonesia Elie Aiboy was happy to be back and he’s no stranger to Brunei as he ever played for Selangor during the Malaysian League and faced Brunei before

Hj Feisal said that the Brunei team has been preparing for a month

The match officials for tomorrow. The referee will be from Malaysia.

A handshake between Indonesia’s head coach Hil Maizar and Brunei’s head coach Kwon Oh Son

People were already buying tickets this afternoon

Let’s hope there are more “yellows” tomorrow. This Indonesian guy bought a few already

So get your tickets tomorrow at the Sport Complex at all four districts from 8am to 12pm or just go down to the National Stadium

Brunei team will be wearing yellow so don’t forget to wear yellow too

Will Adi Said score again against Indonesia? He scored one in the finals of Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy

Are you ready for Tour de Brunei 2012?

More teams, more cyclists. Good signs are coming and so is the pressure to deliver the best. Title sponsors ButraHeidelbergCement (Brunei Cement) are the main reason why Tour de Brunei is made possible with the organisers of the event Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation and also the assistance from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Brunei Tourism. This is a good avenue for the local cyclists to improve their standards as they also compete with international cyclists.

Yesterday was the team presentation and the opening ceremony before the 1st leg race this morning which kicks off at the ButraHeidelbergCement Plant at Seresa at 10am later and ends at the Waterfront. So guys, do bear the traffic or the routes that should be avoided while the cyclists are competing.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports graced the opening ceremony though there was a long delay as he had an official commitment which coincidently clashed with the event. He delivered his welcoming remarks before acknowledging the participants of this year’s Tour de Brunei.

Richard Neo of Lof Bakery Cycling Team said that his team is well prepared and they hope to improve last year’s standings. Lof team has also brought in international cyclists to be part of their team.

Terengganu Cycling Team are favourites to win the UCI Asia Tour Title and they are leading by 92 points. Other teams vying for the title are Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team, CCN Cycling Team, China 361 Cycling Team, Uzbekistan Suren Team and OCBC Singapore Continental Cycling Team.

Tour de Brunei is an UCI 2.2 sanctioned cycling championship with a total of five stages around the Sultanate. It is jointly organised by the Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation in collaboration with the Department of Youth and Sports. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as well as the Department of Tourism Development.

It’s good to see an international event happening here in Brunei. Now the challenging part is to create more interest in our local community of this event. It has to start somewhere and the journey has begun. With more exposure and interest, this annual international event can be bigger than it already was year by year. For more information, you can click here (facebook page) or here (their official website).

Cyclists resting before the event

Yes, it was a pretty hot day too

Stuart Lee of ButraHeidelberg Cement and Hj Rosli Hj Mohiddin, President of Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation

Some cultural entertainment for the audience before the arrival of guest of honour

The media taking a break

I think they are Japanese cyclists

The emcee Allen Shim being brief by Dato Paduka Hamid Jaafar on any changes for the programme

The guest of honour, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports

A speech delivered by Hj Rosli

The Minister giving his welcoming remarks

Terengganu Cycling Team

Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team

Ain’t his glasses pretty cool?

Richard Neo of Lof Bakery cycling team

Lof Bakery Cycling Team

CNN Cycling Team representing Brunei

OCBC Singapore Continental Cycling Team

Brunei Darussalam National Team with their new bikes Cannondale Professional bicycles sponsored by Youth and Sports Department.

A hungry affair right after the ceremony

Some of the LOs for the event

You can catch them on instagram too