By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 23: Sarawak is set to host the fourth edition of Sukan Sarawak (SUKSAR) from February 5 to 8, as part of preparations for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Selangor this August.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said SUKSAR has been held for the past eight years, usually a year before Sukma, to prepare athletes and discover talents who will represent Sarawak at the national games.
“Last year’s SUKSAR was postponed due to a packed calendar that included the Borneo Games.
“This year, we are bringing SUKSAR to the West Zone, involving Betong and Sri Aman, with Lubok Antu also serving as a venue for accommodation and sporting events,” he said during a press conference held at Baitul Makmur 2 here today.
Eleven sports will be contested at SUKSAR 2026, including weightlifting, cycling (road and mountain bike), netball, basketball, karate, ping pong, petanque, sepak takraw, softball, taekwondo and boxing.
Betong will host weightlifting, cycling, netball and taekwondo, while Sri Aman will feature netball, petanque, ping pong, softball and boxing. Lubok Antu will serve as the venue for sepak takraw and karate.
A total of 105 gold, 105 silver and 135 bronze medals are up for grabs, with four contingents representing the North, Central, West and South zones. Each contingent is expected to bring up to 257 athletes, excluding officials, bringing total participants to over 1,000.
The SUKSAR 2026 inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 3pm on February 4 at Dewan Sukan Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan in Betong and will be officiated by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
The closing ceremony will take place at 3.30pm on February 8 at the Indoor Stadium of the Sri Aman Sports Complex, expected to be officiated by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Abdul Karim also said Sarawak is determined to defend its title at Sukma Selangor this August, as the team aims to prove that the 2024 home victory was no fluke and that Sarawak remains a top contender on the national stage.
“Selangor has always been a very strong state. Almost half of the overall champions in the whole history of Sukma have been won by Selangor.
“However, we are the defending champions. We have to produce the best team and make sure that our victory in 2024 was not a victory because we held it at home,” he added.
Answering questions on eligibility, Abdul Karim clarified that only athletes under 21 can participate, aligning with Sukma rules.
He also stressed flexibility in team representation across divisions to ensure the strongest athletes can compete, noting that discussions on this would be handled collaboratively. – DayakDaily
