By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Nov 28: The highly anticipated Tour De Malindo, an annual cycling extravaganza jointly hosted by the West Kalimantan government of Indonesia and the Sarawak government, is poised to be revived next year.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah tentatively disclosed that the one-day event is planned to commence at Balai Karangan, Kabupaten Sanggau in West Kalimantan Province, with the Serian Conference Centre in Sarawak serving as the event’s finish line.
“It will cover a total distance of approximately 62.2km,” he said during his winding up speech for the Ministry at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
In addition to the Tour De Malindo, Abdul Karim added that the Ministry intends to breathe new life into active motorsport activities, including the revival of motocross championships, go-kart competitions, cub prix racing, and more.
“Capitalising on existing relevant facilities, namely in Miri and Sibu, we are welcoming interested motorsport clubs and associations to come forward with their proposal to jointly organise the events with my ministry in future,” he urged.
Furthermore, the ministry is committed to enhancing and strategising events that promote nature-based adventure sports, which have emerged as major attractions for sports tourism.
Highlighting the upcoming Kemuyang Nature Challenge in Sibu on Dec 16, he said it is expected to draw 300 participants from across the State.
Acknowledging the sport’s nascent stage in Sarawak, he said the Ministry is in the process of establishing a locally based association to drive its promotion and improvement.
“We shall be able to promote the sport among our locals once everything is in place to encourage them to compete with competitors from other Malaysian States.
“With an ongoing academy in the works, we should be able to attract our own local stars who will be ready to compete in tournament alongside competitors from other countries,” he added. — DayakDaily
