By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 20: A total of 700 athletes from 14 countries will compete in the Premier of Sarawak Borneo Cup International Taekwondo (WTF) Championship 2022 held at Stadium Perpaduan here from Aug 18 until tomorrow (Aug 21).
Sarawak Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah during his opening remarks at the competition today said it has opened up opportunities for athletes to make their dreams come true, creating a framework for fair competition.
He also hoped that the athletes would be able to bond and make new friendships along the way.
Meanwhile, Taekwondo Malaysia (TM) president, Sarawak Taekwondo Association president and Tanjung Datu assemblyman Azizul Annuar Adenan informed that the 700 athletes participating in this year’s championship consisted of those from Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore and Korea.
However, this figure reflected a 40 per cent drop compared to the previous championship in 2019 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Nevertheless, he believed that the number of participants in the championship is a great start after the pandemic and hoped that taekwondo can be elevated to greater heights in the future.
Amongst those present were former Tanjung Datu assemblywoman Datin Patinggi Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu; Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee; MYSED acting permanent secretary Nancy Jolhi; Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) chief executive officer Morshidi Fredrick; TM Technical chairman-cum-secretary general Grandmaster Dhanaraj Rassiah and Sarawak Education Department director Dr Azhar Ahmad. — DayakDaily
