By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 29: Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah today playfully warned officers under the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) and Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) not to become “obese” as the minister emphasised the importance of staying active through sports.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the MYSED Sports Carnival 2025, he said such sporting events are not just for fun, but serve as a subtle reminder—especially for those no longer in their competitive years—to take better care of their health.
“In a subtle way, when we engage in sports, it helps prevent those in the ministry or SSC from becoming overly obese.
“Sometimes, when we’re too busy, we tend to neglect our health and eating habits. As we grow older and are no longer in the competitive age group, we don’t really control what we eat—like mee jawa or curry mee,” he said during the event held at Sarawak Sports Village here today.
He noted that participating in matches encourages regular training and preparation, which in turn helps improve fitness levels.
“When we take part in sports like this, especially if we’re competing, we’ll naturally need to train and have practice matches. From there, we start taking better care of our bodies, even if just a little,” he added.
Abdul Karim also urged MYSED to continue organising the sports carnival as an annual programme and to consider rotating its host location across various divisions in Sarawak in future editions.
He further suggested that event grant which falls under his other ministry—the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts—could be utilised and rotated to support the carnival’s continuity.
He pointed out that sports can also foster greater appreciation among civil servants for the physical challenges faced by Sarawak athletes when representing the State in national competitions.
A total of 330 participants took part in the inaugural MYSED Sports Carnival, which featured eight events including football, badminton, volleyball, netball, pickleball, ping pong (table tennis), darts, and ‘tarik tali’ (tug of war).
Hornbill Xtroopers 13 was crowned overall champion.
Also present were Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (Entrepreneur Development) Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat; MYSED permanent secretary Morshidi Fredrick; MYSED deputy permanent secretary Dolhadi Mazuki; and SSC acting chief executive officer Khairul Nizam Morshidi. — DayakDaily
