Sabah hosts Malaysia’s first world-class arm-wrestling tournament

Sabah’s arm-wrestling scene, long tied to Kaamatan and known in Kadazan-Dusun as Mimpolos, crossed into a new phase at Palm Square in Centre Point Sabah, where Malaysia hosted its first world-class tournament. The East vs West Southeast Asia Qualifier 2026, paired with King of the Table SEA 2026, ran June 20 to June 21 in Kota Kinabalu after a June 19 press conference and official face-off at Barbarian Reborn Elemen Utara, putting a festival-rooted tradition under a professional spotlight.

The scale matched the symbolism. More than 200 athletes turned up across amateur, women’s, Masters and professional divisions, with competitors traveling from Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, South Korea, China, Sweden, Russia and Peninsular Malaysia. Some even drove in from Kuching for the meet, and the centerpiece attraction featured 24 elite athletes in one-on-one supermatches. With Devon Larratt and Jodi Larratt among the featured guests, the event carried the kind of star power that has helped arm wrestling break out of niche-status and into a more international, broadcast-ready format.

Michael Ford stood at the center of that push. At 37, the organizer has spent more than 15 years in the sport and only intensified his international focus over the past three years. His own resume gave the event instant legitimacy: he won the super heavyweight 125kg and above title at the 2025 Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio after a 42-hour journey to compete, then added a win in Canada. That background mattered because Sabah was not only staging a tournament, it was presenting one of its own top international-level athletes as the face of the sport’s next step in Malaysia.

The collaboration with Sabah Tourism was also designed as more than promotion. Ford framed the meet as proof that Sabah can host international-level sporting events, and the branding around East vs West underscored the ambition. A listing described the qualifier as the highest level of armwrestling competition on the planet, which explains why this weekend felt less like a regional stop and more like a statement of intent. For Sabah, the challenge now is to turn Mimpolos from Kaamatan spectacle into a lasting development pipeline, with talent identification, elite competition and global exposure working together on the same stage.