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alembang will host the second round of the ISTAF Super Series from Feb. 23-27 after Malaysia was banned from hosting the championship by the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF).

Palembang organizers said they were 100 percent ready to host the games and that all contingents had arrived a few days before the tournament. The tournament will be aired worldwide by 70 broadcasters and viewed by an estimated 800 million viewers. Attendance will be free for local spectators, said organizing committee chairman Hendri Zainudin.

The championship, which will be held at the Palembang Sports and Convention Center (PSCC), will feature teams from eleven countries, including the United States, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Japan and South Korea. Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng is scheduled to open the championship.

The president of the Asian Sepaktakraw Ferderation (ASTAF), Abdul Halim Bin Kader, said that in the men’s category, the host team and the team from Thailand would be the toughest contenders, while in the women’s division, Thailand and Vietnam were the favorites.

During the recent South East Asian (SEA) Games, Indonesia won one gold, three silver and four bronzes.

Indonesia’s men’s team defeated Myanmar 3-2 and won the gold for the first time since Indonesia took part in the biennial games in 1977 and 40 years after the nation sepak takraw association was formed in 1971.

Thailand’s sepak takraw teams are still the heavyweight contenders in the region, having collected three gold medals and finishing overall champions in the recent SEA Games.