KUCHING: Beneath the music and carefully timed routines, young rhythmic gymnasts are taking their first steps in the sport, building confidence, discipline and character beyond the competition floor.
The Rhythmic Gymnastics Grading Competition 2026, held at the MMA Sports Hub, Boulevard Shopping Mall here on Sunday (Apr 26), brought together 51 girls across different levels, from beginners in the “Little Gymnast” category to more experienced athletes competing in higher grades.
Sarawak Amateur Gymnastics Association (SAGYMA) president Johnny Tan Seng Hock said the event forms part of the association’s grading programme focused on introducing young athletes to structured development in the sport.
“This is our grading programme, where we give the children a chance to be involved in gymnastics and learn from the experience.
“This competition gives them a fair chance to feel what it is like to compete,” he told Sarawak Tribune after the competition.
Tan also added that the grading system allows gymnasts to progress step by step as they advance through the levels.
“At different levels, the skills are different. As they move up, the routines become more difficult. It is a step-by-step process.
“Gymnastics is a discipline sport. They learn to be patient, to focus and to concentrate on what they are doing,” he added.
Currently, Sarawak’s grading system goes up to Grade 3, with plans to expand further as the programme develops.
That development is already visible among young gymnasts taking part in the competition.
For parents Benny David and Daya Butteh, the journey has already brought visible changes in their daughter Beverly, who only started the sport about a year ago.
“She’s more flexible and more refined in her movements, even doing chores at home, we can see that she is more graceful in her actions.
“We feel proud because we’ve seen how she trains on her own by watching videos and following them and also have the confidence in joining the grading programme here today”, Daya told Sarawak Tribune after the grading competition.
Daya added that both her and her husband are prepared to support Beverly’s ambitions if she chooses to pursue the sport further.
“If she has the talent and the passion, we would like to see her go to the nationals, no matter the sacrifices we might make”, she added.
Meanwhile, Irene Ho said her daughter Abigail, who began rhythmic gymnastics in Primary Three, has grown more disciplined and organised over time.
“She is more organised now and knows how to manage her time better,” she said.
Ho said she allows her daughter to decide how far she wants to take the sport.
“It depends on her. If she wants to pursue it, then she can,” she added.
With participants ranging from beginners to more experienced gymnasts, the competition reflects not just performances on the floor, but the journey each athlete takes as they grow in the sport.
Also present during the grading competition was a political secretary to the Premier Kho Teck Wan.
