KUCHING: The revived Borneo Games, set to bring together states, provinces and nations within the island of Borneo, will implement eligibility guidelines that bar former Olympians from competing -unless a substantial period has passed since their last Olympic appearance.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the exclusion is intended to maintain fairness and encourage more equitable competition across all participating regions.
“As it stands, the Games will be open to all athletes except those who have represented their country at the Olympic Games,” he said during a press conference on the Borneo Games at Baitulmakmur Building II today.
However, the organisers are open to flexibility under certain circumstances.
Abdul Karim acknowledged that some former Olympians, especially those who last competed over a decade ago, may no longer pose a dominant threat but still offer value in terms of participation and representation.
“Even those who have been to the Olympics, if their last participation was maybe ten years ago, they might be older now. They’re still good, yes, but perhaps not at their peak.
“So we leave it to the technical team to evaluate these cases,” he added.
The clause is expected to be discussed further by the Games’ technical and eligibility committee to determine a fair cut-off period, likely involving a combination of athletes’ ages, last date of Olympic representation, and current performance levels.
This eligibility policy is part of a broader effort to shape the Borneo Games as a platform for regional development, cultural exchange, and grassroots sporting talent – rather than an elite-level competition.
Abdul Karim also stressed that the Games are about more than just medals.
“The whole idea of having this sports or this Games being revived is to create the bonding between country, province, and state within the island of Borneo.
“It is always very good to have sporting events among us. Through sports and through arts and culture, we would be able to get much closer together,” he said.
The Borneo Games, which will involve contingents from Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, Labuan and the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, are expected to feature both traditional and modern sports.
A finalised list of events, athletes and technical rules will be released in the coming weeks as preparations intensify.
Revived after nearly ten years, the Games will be held from September 24 to 28 at the Petra Jaya Sports Complex.
An estimated 1,500 athletes and officials are expected to take part, competing for 124 gold medals across seven sports, namely badminton, lawn bowls, athletics, archery, swimming, tug-of-war and blowpipe.
