KUCHING: Sarawak needs young talents with discipline, teamwork and a positive mindset to power the state’s rapid transformation and development.
Batu Lintang state assemblyman See Chee How said this yesterday (July 14) when officiating at the closing ceremony of the 7th Sarawak Tang Soo Do Championship 2026, held over two days at the 7th Mile Chamber of Commerce Hall in Kota Sentosa here.
He cited that Tang Soo Do practitioners across Sarawak, including those who competed in the championship, were the state’s promising pillars of the future given their proven competence and potential.
See noted that martial arts and sports transcend cultural and social boundaries, fostering unity, mutual respect and friendship in line with the vision of a united Sarawak.
The championship, organised by The Sarawak Samarahan Tang Soo Do Association, drew more than 200 practitioners of all ages and ethnic groups from Sarawak’s six divisions of Kuching, Samarahan, Miri, Sibu, Sarikei and Bintulu.
He commended the state-level competition for giving practitioners a platform to connect, hone their skills and prepare for the upcoming National Tang Soo Do Championships of Malaysia.
“Compete against yourself, not against others,” See said in the statement, citing it as one of Tang Soo Do’s best-known tenets, and added that the sport’s ultimate goal was for practitioners to overcome their own limits rather than defeat opponents.
He praised the association, which marks its 10th anniversary in 2026 after being registered as a non-profit sports organisation in 2016, for training more than 8,000 local practitioners, about 30 per cent of whom are Bumiputera.
According to See, Tang Soo Do was first introduced to Sarawak in 1972 and gained popularity among members of uniformed services through the 1970s and 1980s, with Bumiputera practitioners making up roughly 40 per cent of the tens of thousands who have trained in the sport statewide since then.
He also lauded the association’s coaching team for their voluntary dedication in guiding practitioners, saying their conscientious instruction had helped athletes progress both technically and in mindset.
