KUCHING, June 17: The countdown to Sukma 2021 is on, with 200 days left for Sarawak to train in the hopes of clinching the elusive championship title of 29 years ago.
Minister of Youth and Sports Sarawak Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah called on all sports associations to double their efforts in preparing for the upcoming Malaysia Games to take place in Johor from March 6 to 14, next year.
The Sarawak Government has agreed to reopen the sports complex for Sukma Sarawak athletes training from June 17 onwards, subject to them complying to the stipulated standard operating procedure (SOP).
“Our main mission is to become the overall champion at Sukma Johor because the title has been elusive for Sarawak the past 29 years. We have about 200 days to prepare for the coming SUKMA Johor in March next year. So we need to focus on that and to become the overall champion,” he said in a statement after a meeting session with representatives from several sports association at Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Center, yesterday.
Abdul Karim said some sports facilities, like swimming pools, are still closed to the public but will be open to Sarawak’s athletes for training.
He stressed that he wanted all sports facilities to operate again as time was short for the Sarawak contingent.
“Local athletes who will be competing in rugby and football are also allowed to train again provided they must adhere to the SOP set by the authorities to ensure their health and safety are always safeguarded. We also encourage athletes to stay fit in order for them to be more prepared and stay positive while training in the new norm environment,” he added.
He also attended a swimming and diving training session held at Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Center on the same day and was satisfied with the level of SOP compliance agreed by the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBNS) and the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH).—DayakDaily
