KUCHING: More than 60 Sarawak athletes and officials have departed for Selangor today (Aug 12) in the first major movement of the state contingent for the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) XXII.
The group departed from Kuching International Airport on an AirBorneo flight and comprised athletes and officials from several sports, including judo, rhythmic gymnastics and kabaddi.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah was at the airport to send off the contingent, accompanied by his deputy and Sarawak’s Chef de Mission Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu.
Abdul Karim said today’s departure was the first and largest movement of the Sarawak contingent, although some athletes had already travelled to Selangor as their events were scheduled to begin earlier.
“Today is the first major group, with more than 60 athletes and officials departing to carry the Sarawak flag and compete in SUKMA in Selangor,” he told reporters at the send off.
He expressed confidence in the preparations made by the contingent and hoped the athletes would return with strong results.
“Our hope is that they can bring back success. This shows that we are truly prepared to ensure the Sarawak contingent can achieve victory in the events they enter,” he said.
Abdul Karim also expressed confidence in Sarawak’s chances of retaining its SUKMA crown, insisting that the contingent was only targeting the top spot.
Asked whether Sarawak was confident of becoming champion again, he was adamant that the state would retain the title.
“We do not look at number two or number three because we only look at number one,” he said.
He said Sarawak had every reason to adopt such an approach as the state was the defending champion of both SUKMA and Para SUKMA.
“For both, there is no number two. We only look at number one,” he said.
Abdul Karim added that the fighting spirit among the athletes was high and expressed hope they would give their best to bring home another successful campaign.
More Sarawak athletes and officials are expected to depart for Selangor in the coming days as the various events get underway.
