LAHAD DATU: Freestyle Martial Arts Keningau emerged as overall champions for the 1st Sabah Hapkido Championship 2025 organised by Hapkido Sabah.
The head coach and founder of Hapkido Sabah, Master Bernardo Vivero said, the championship was participated by a total of 150 athletes from Hapkido, Taekwando and Silat.
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He said the championship was supported by dedicated officials, referees, coaches, athletes and parents who worked together to ensure a smooth competition.
“To strengthen professional standards and international credibility, we have also invited international referees, Master Ferry from Indonesia and Master Raidin from Brunei Darussalam.
“The Freestyle Martial Arts Keningau emerged as overall champions, followed by Hapkido Lahad Datu in second place and Taekwondo ITF Uniquekan in third,” he said.
While officiating the closing ceremony of the championship, Master Bernardo announced Keningau as the host for the 2nd Sabah Hapkido Championship which scheduled to take place on May 2026.
He said the upcoming edition is expected to attract wider participation and further support the steady development of Hapkido across Sabah.
“The state-level championships play an important role in strengthening organisational capacity as part of preparations for an International Invitational Hapkido Championship planned August 2026 in Kota Kinabalu.
“The international event is expected to involve clubs and participants from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia,” he said.
Master Bernardo hopes the championship will continue to serve as a platform for nurturing new talent while fostering cooperation and unity within the Hapkido community at state, national and international levels.
