By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, May 14: Sarawak has requested for the Federal government to chip in an allocation of at least RM100 million to complement the estimated cost of RM300 million in organising the upcoming Malaysia Games (Sukma).
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the cost of organising the sports event is borne by the Sarawak government with some assistance coming from the Federal government.
“However, at the moment, we are still waiting for the approved value of subsidy or assistance from the Federal government.
“Actually we (Sarawak) are asking for at least RM100 million for the organising cost of Sukma because the last Sukma that we held in 2016, they gave us RM40 million only. At that time, the venues involved only Kuching and Sibu, and the sport events were much less,” he told reporters at a press conference after presenting his ministerial winding-up speech at Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting here today.
During his speech earlier, he mentioned that the Sarawak government is currently upgrading 24 sports facilities and building three new facilities in Petra Jaya for Sukma. The three new facilities are Sarawak Cricket and Rugby Ground, Wushu Training and Competition Centre, and Sarawak Sports Village.
At the same time, Abdul Karim gave an update on the possibility of Sarawak hosting the 34th Sea Games in 2027.
“We are currently in the midst of discussing with the Federal government on this matter. When the time comes, we will make the necessary announcement on how many sports events to be held in West Malaysia and how many to be held in Sarawak because we have to admit that not all of our sports facilities are up to the mark,” he explained. — DayakDaily
