KUCHING: The Sarawak Badminton Association’s (SBA) active engagement with the private sector has positioned badminton as one of the state’s better-supported sports.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state government continues to provide grants to all sports associations but added that proactive leadership and strong private-sector partnerships play a key role in determining the overall level of support an association receives.
“Supporting a sports association comes from both the government and the initiative of the association itself to engage the private sector, and fortunately we can see that the committee is very active,” he told reporters after the SBA-Yonex-Sunrise signing ceremony.
Abdul Karim noted that SBA has been particularly proactive in reaching out to corporate partners over the past few years, describing its collaboration with Yonex-Sunrise as a strong example of how such partnerships can benefit athletes and strengthen professionalism within an association.
He explained that grant allocations vary widely depending on an association’s activity level, the popularity of the sport and the scale of competitions organised throughout the year.
“There are more than a hundred sports associations receiving grants. Some receive modest amounts, while others receive hundreds of thousands or even millions. It depends on how active they are and how widely the sport is played across Sarawak,” he said.
He then explained that sports with broad participation across divisions, such as badminton, football and swimming, generally receive higher levels of support due to their development needs and busy competition calendars.
Abdul Karim added that his ministry usually distributes grants to sports bodies between February and March each year.
On facilities, he said badminton remains one of the most popular sports in Sarawak, particularly at the grassroots level, with courts commonly found in village halls in both urban and rural areas.
While many of these facilities are mainly used for recreational play, he said the government is prepared to consider upgrades on a case-by-case basis to help raise competitive standards where needed.
“Badminton is very close to Sarawakians. From recreational play, it can grow into competitive sport, and where facilities are no longer adequate, we will look into improving them,” he said.
