By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, April 8: Sarawak is ready to work closely with international sports bodies to bring more sporting events to the State, said Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He reaffirmed the State government’s commitment to positioning Sarawak as a key player in Malaysia’s sports scene—including hosting events under the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and other global sporting organisations.
“The Sarawak government will always be there to give our fullest support.
“As I’ve told Catherine Michie (ITF representative), we wish to see Sarawak become a sport powerhouse in Malaysia,” he said during the welcoming and fellowship dinner for the 2025 Asia-Oceania Final Qualifying of the ITF Under-14 Girls & Boys Tennis Tournament, held at Hilton Hotel last night (April 7).
Sarawak has already hosted several major competitions, including the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in August last year, and the ICC Women’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Kuching this January. The State is also set to co-host the 2027 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
Abdul Karim, who is also Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, further highlighted the close connection between sports and tourism, noting that international competitions provide an opportunity to showcase Sarawak to the world.
“I always see a connection between the two, and we’ve managed to bring in many sports events.
“In a way, we are introducing Sarawak to the world, while also increasing the number of tourists and visitors to the State,” he added.
As of yesterday (April 7), four teams in the Girls category—South Korea, Japan, China, and Chinese Taipei—have secured their spots at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, which will be held in Prostejov, Czech Republic, from August 4 to 9.
The qualifying tournament in Kuching, which continues until April 15, is now focused on determining the top four teams in the Boys category who will also advance to the finals.
Also present at the event were Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (Tourism) Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew; Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) permanent secretary Morshidi Fredrick; Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) acting chief executive officer Khairul Nizam; and Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) president Dato Patrick CJ Liew. — DayakDaily
