KUCHING: From the coastal tip of Tanjung Datu to the highlands of Ba’ Kelalan, 34 teams from across Sarawak gathered at the inaugural SABERKAS President’s Cup Futsal Championship 2026.
The May 1 to May 2 tourney, held at Arena Sukan here, marked a significant milestone for the organisation, bringing together youths from various branches statewide in a celebration of sport, unity and community spirit.
Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who was present to witness the event, said the championship serves as an important platform to engage young people in healthy and meaningful activities.
“This is the first time we are organising the SABERKAS President’s Cup futsal tournament, involving branches from across Sarawak.
“It is very encouraging to see youths coming from as far as Tanjung Datu and Ba’ Kelalan to take part,” he told reporters when met at Arena Sukan today (May 1).
He added that beyond competition, the tournament plays a key role in strengthening ties among participants while promoting an active lifestyle.
“It is heartening to see so many young people gathering in Kuching, not only to compete but also to build friendships, foster unity, and take part in positive sporting activities,” he said.
The event was organised by the SABERKAS Sports and Culture Committee, and forms part of ongoing efforts to create more structured programmes for youth engagement throughout Sarawak.
Following the strong response to its inaugural edition, Abdul Karim expressed hope that the tournament can be established as an annual event.
“Insya-Allah, we hope to continue organising this every year. We already have several programmes that have become annual fixtures, such as the ‘bubur lambuk’ initiative during Ramadan and our SABERKAS sports carnival introduced in 2019.
“These programmes have helped bring youths together across the state and encourage their involvement in healthy and beneficial activities,” he added.
The championship not only highlights the growing enthusiasm for futsal among Sarawak’s youth, but also reinforces SABERKAS’ role in nurturing grassroots sports while strengthening community bonds across its wide network of branches.
Also present was SABERKAS Sarawak’s Secretary-General, Dr Safiee Ahmad; Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim; and MYSED’s Permanent Secretary, Dzulkarnain Masron.
