By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 4: Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan has expressed keen interest in witnessing the upcoming Borneo Games in Sarawak, says Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said Yeoh was “very happy” with Sarawak’s initiative when he briefed her during a recent meeting in Kuala Lumpur to deliberate on the 2027 SEA Games.
“She even informed that she might want to come to see the Borneo Games.
“We will see-lah (sic). Probably on the closing night, we will invite her to be with us,” Abdul Karim told reporters during a press conference on Hetty Koes Endang & Friends Concert held at Baitul Makmur II here today.
The Borneo Games, last held in 2013, will return from Sept 24 to 28 featuring contingents from Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah, Labuan, East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.
According to him, there were also requests from two states in Peninsular Malaysia to take part, but organisers decided to keep the 2025 edition exclusive to Borneo.
“The Borneo Games have not been held for a long time, the last being in 2013. Now we are reviving it back. For this revival, it will only involve the provinces and states within Borneo.
“The next one, probably two years from now, we may invite other states if they are keen, or even Northern Territory, Australia,” he added.
This year’s edition will feature five core sports—athletics, swimming, lawn bowls, archery and badminton—along with two traditional events, ‘menyumpit’ (blowpipe) and ‘tarik tali’ (tug-of-war). – DayakDaily
