By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, May 12: Sarawak must have its own version of the Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex, complete with a dedicated High Performance Centre (HPC), if it is serious about producing world-class athletes, says Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said that while the Sarawak Sports Complex in Petra Jaya is already the largest in Malaysia, the absence of a high-performance facility and a velodrome has left a critical gap in the State’s sports development infrastructure.
“We will build our own HPC because in order to advance in sports, we must have our own ‘Bukit Jalil’.
“Bukit Jalil has an HPC, and Sarawak must have one too. We already have all the other facilities,” he told reporters after the closing and prize presentation ceremony for the ‘Born To Perform’ Dance Competition held at the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) here today.
His remarks came in reference to his recent working visit to Australia, where he led a delegation to study the country’s elite sports training system.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, said that in Sydney and Canberra, the delegation visited the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) and the New South Wales Sports Commission.
“Australia places strong emphasis on sports development, and we can see the results through their consistent top performances in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian sporting events.
“That is why we went there—to learn the key elements that have made them so successful in developing high-performing athletes. It was a very rewarding and informative trip,” he added.
He also noted that the idea of establishing an HPC had been mooted for years, and that the Sarawak government has been actively benchmarking against top-performing countries such as South Korea and Australia.
“Through these visits, we are identifying the right elements to include in our HPC, so that it can truly elevate our athletes to the next level,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, in his speech earlier, Abdul Karim said that the long-awaited Centre of Performing Arts in Kuching is expected to be completed by the end of next year, providing a more suitable venue for showcasing dance and other performing arts.
“Today we are using the auditorium for Comdance CSTD International’s ‘Born To Perform’ Dance Competition, but hopefully by next year, when our Centre of Performing Arts is ready, we will have a better venue for participants and the public to appreciate this form of art,” he said when officiating the event.
The competition attracted 120 participants from 11 dance schools across Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan, and several Indonesian provinces, including Jakarta, Balikpapan, and Cirebon.
The winners will represent their regions in the grand finals in Singapore this August.
— DayakDaily
