By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 18: Construction of the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) for the 2027 SEA Games is taking shape rapidly next to the Baitulmakmur Building here and is set to play a crucial role in delivering timely competition updates, results and information to participating countries and audiences around the world.
Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the facility, which is currently ahead of schedule, must be completed before the regional sporting event gets underway next September.
“I have been informed that it is ahead of schedule at the moment. It must be completed before the SEA Games because this is where information and specific data related to the Games will be broadcast to participating countries and the rest of the world,” he told reporters after launching the One-Year Countdown to the 2027 SEA Games Sarawak Cluster at tHe Spring Shopping Mall here tonight.
Abdul Karim said Sarawak is placing significant emphasis on ensuring information could be disseminated efficiently throughout the Games, as participating countries would expect real-time updates on competitions and events.
“We are quite focused on this because the countries involved want to know what is happening minute by minute and hour by hour. We want data, information and updates to be channelled to them quickly and effectively,” he said.
Apart from the IBC, preparations for the 34th SEA Games are progressing smoothly, with upgrades to sporting facilities and competition venues also moving ahead of schedule.
Abdul Karim revealed that almost all of the 11 venues undergoing upgrading works are currently ahead of timeline, including Stadium Sarawak, which is expected to be officially launched upon completion of the enhancement works.
The Sarawak Stadium has also been selected as the venue for the opening ceremony of the Games on Sept 18, 2027.
To ensure the smooth management of international contingents, Abdul Karim said translators and liaison officers would be made available during the Games.
He noted that while English and Bahasa Malaysia would be commonly used, translation services would be necessary for some participating countries whose representatives may not be proficient in either language.
“Definitely there will be translators, and liaison officers assigned to each contingent will also be there to guide and assist them,” he said.
The 34th SEA Games will be staged across four host clusters, namely Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor, with the Games scheduled from Sept 18 to 29 next year. Malaysia will be hosting the biennial regional sporting event for the seventh time.
Sarawak will make its debut as a SEA Games host cluster, with the State set to host 18 of the 43 sports confirmed for the Games, involving 281 out of the overall 480 events.
The official launch was also attended by Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat; Sarawak Deputy Secretary (Operations) and chairman of the Malaysia SEA Games 2027 Secretariat for the Sarawak Cluster Datu Hii Chang Kee; Malaysia’s SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC) chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Rashid Yaakub; Tanjong Datu assemblyman and Chef de Mission for SEA Games Malaysia Azizul Annuar Adenan, and permanent secretary for the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak Dzulkornain Masron. — DayakDaily
