By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, April 15: The upcoming Borneo Games in Sarawak will feature only five core sports to ensure strong participation and smooth coordination, said Sarawak Minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who likened the 2025 edition to a fresh start following a 12-year hiatus.
Responding to questions from reporters on why only five sports were included, Abdul Karim explained that after the last Borneo Games in 2013, there had been no efforts to revive the event — until now.
“It’s just like starting all over again. Of course, I would love to see more — even 20 sports if possible — but to ensure the first one (after the long break) is well-organised, five sports are sufficient for now,” he said during a press conference on the 42nd Premier Sarawak Cup ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J300 (J1) at Baitul Makmur II Building in Petra Jaya here today.
Abdul Karim, who is also Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, clarified that the organising committee had consulted with participating states and provinces, and all appeared content with the five selected sports.
The 2025 edition will feature five core sporting events—athletics, swimming, lawn bowls, archery, and badminton.
In addition, traditional events such as tarik tali (tug-of-war) and menyumpit (blowpipe) will be featured to add cultural flair, alongside one invitational golf event.
The minister stressed that the Borneo Games will evolve, and more sports will be added in future editions. However, the current priority is ensuring broad participation and practicality.
“We need to ensure that all participating regions, including Indonesia and Brunei, are able to take part. We don’t want to include too many sports only to have just two or three regions competing in each,” he said.
He also noted that logistical limitations in some areas, such as Brunei, must be considered.
“Brunei’s Culture, Youth, and Sports Ministry told me they’d love to organise, but they don’t have the facilities. Their population is only about 400,000 — Kuching is already double that,” he said.
The long-dormant Borneo Games is set to make a long-awaited return this year, with Sarawak confirmed as the host from September 24 to 28, 2025.
Speaking to reporters at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex here yesterday (April 15), Abdul Karim said a recent meeting with regional counterparts — including representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Sabah, Labuan, and both West and East Kalimantan — resulted in a tentative agreement to revive the Borneo Games this year. — DayakDaily
