By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 30: Sarawak Wushu practitioners and athletes here will not have to train on wet carpets anymore.
Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the new Wushu Training and Competition Centre which is to be built at Petra Jaya will be equipped with modern facilities, unlike the training centre at 7th Mile where the carpets are sometimes damp from the rain.
He added the new training centre, which is located off Jalan Stadium between the gymnastic stadium and the shooting range, will have its construction works kicking off by February, 2021 and expected to be completed in 15 months.
“I am very happy to see that finally the project is taking off. The state Cabinet and MKN (National Security Council) have already approved the site, as well as the cost.
“The ceiling is at about RM13.2 million,” he said during a press conference before a site inspection of the Wushu Training and Competition Centre at Petra Jaya here today.
Adding on, Abdul Karim said this is a way for the state government of rewarding the Wushu community in Sarawak that has been contributing a lot to the state, with their excellent results especially in the Malaysian Games (Sukma) for the past few years.
“Wushu has been very productive to the state, they have made Sarawak proud, especially in the national as well as international sports.
“We (Sarawak) have been able to produce so many good Wushu athletes throughout the years.
“Wushu has never failed us. In every Sukma, they are one of the sports bodies that has been able to produce good medal returns whether in gold, silver or bronze medals,” he said while listing out all the past achievements of Wushu athletes from Sarawak.
With this attainment, Abdul Karim said, the Wushu athletes deserve to have an ideal place to train and even host competitions.
The 3.1-acre centre will be equipped with two training carpets, a running track, outdoor warming up area, collapsible seating area for up to 800 people and a stage.
Together with Abdul Karim at the site inspection were also Deputy Minster of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan and the Ministry’s permanent secretary Nancy Jolhi. —DayakDaily
