By Amanda L
KUCHING, Dec 2: A total of 54 Sarawak athletes have been selected to represent Malaysia at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand next year, underscoring the State’s growing depth in high-performance sports, Minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said.
According to him, the athletes will compete across multiple disciplines, marking another milestone in Sarawak’s push to establish itself as the country’s leading sports powerhouse.
The selection, he said, reflects years of structured development involving talent scouting, intensive training and consistent exposure to national and international competitions.
“Sarawak is also preparing its contingent for SUKMA XXII Selangor 2026, which will run from August 15 to 24 and feature 37 sports across nine districts.
“With the State aiming to defend its overall champion title, the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) and Majlis Sukan Negeri Sarawak (MSNS) have already begun sending long-listed athletes to 22 state, 83 national and 37 international tournaments to ensure they meet qualification standards and stay competition-ready,” he said during his ministerial winding up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting today.
Abdul Karim said that these efforts are part of a comprehensive strategy to enhance not only athlete performance but also coaching expertise and the overall support framework through carefully designed programmes.
“Priority sports have been identified Statewide, supported by talent identification in schools and clubs, high-intensity training routines and ongoing enhancements to the Integrated Games Management System,” he added.
SSC currently runs 290 Sports Development Centres, involving 5,983 athletes and 295 coaches. Throughout 2025, the corporation rolled out extensive athlete and coaching development initiatives, including continuous education for coaches and programmes to identify emerging talent.
He said the combined progress at both elite and grassroots levels shows Sarawak is moving steadily toward long-term sporting excellence and sustained dominance at future national and regional competitions. — DayakDaily
