KUCHING: The Sarawak wushu SUKMA team are hoping for better results and showing in the next SUKMA 2024 as they are hoping to be successful in going to China for their exposure trip to prepare for the Games.
The Wushu Federation of Sarawak (WFS) who failed to land a trip to China before the last SUKMA held in 2022 in Kuala Lumpur is still trying to sort out their travelling plans to the cities available for their training.
In the previous SUKMA, the Sarawak team went for a trip to Medan Indonesia and also due to the effect of the movement control order (MCO) training restrictions they did not win a single gold but managed to win four silver medals and six bronze instead.
“This year we plan to go to China again and we have tried to contact the City of Fujien and China but maybe because of the COVID situation there is still fluid there has been no reply so far.
“We are looking for Henan where the national team for their training and also watch out for a few places for as long as these places are strong in certain events, then we can go there,” said the vice president of WFS and chief coach James Ting.
Ting also said that Sarawak has one player in Mok Siaw Yen who was in the national team who went to China.
Siaw Yen who won a silver in the last SUKMA is one of the two representatives from Sarawak in the national team.
The other is Clement Ting who is overage and ineligible in the SUKMA unlike Siaw Yen who at 20 is into his last year in the SUKMA squad.
In the coming SUKMA, Ting said he is hopeful Sarawak wushu athletes will have better results than the previous Games as they are performing at home in front of their own supporters.
Also with a China trip added in, they are better prepared this time unlike in the last Games where they did not have proper training due to the MCO. He said they will likely use the venue by renting from any schools like in 2016 when they used the hall at Chung Hua Primary School No. 3.
He also said that it is unlikely that the new wushu stadium which had started their groundwork will be ready to host the competitions next year but it will make no different as they can use other places as the venue.
Sarawak is targeting a cautious two golds in the next SUKMA and they are banking their hopes on Siaw Yen in the Taijijian and another one will be Stephanie Ngu who won a silver in the last SUKMA.
The Sarawak squad will likely be finalised by next year with 12 athletes for Taolu events and five for Sanda events.