AFTER 30 years of title drought, Sarawak finally became the champion of the 21st Malaysia Games Sukma XXI 2024.
This is because in both 2023 and 2024, Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah made it clear: Sarawak was determined to reclaim the title of overall champion at Sukma and Para Sukma XXI.
Sarawak last held the Sukma overall champion crown in 1994 while Sarawak last became the overall champion for Para Sukma in 2022.
This time however, the state’s leadership left no room for doubt.
During the recent handover of annual state grants to sports associations, Abdul Karim issued a rallying call.
“I would like to call on all to unite and do our best to make Sarawak the overall champion at the 21st Sukma,” he said, emphasising that every association and athlete must embrace the mindset of champions to reach their goals.
Fatimah, too, expressed her unwavering determination, particularly for the Para Sukma contingent.
She wanted the Para Sukma athletes to take the opportunity to outperform Sabah, the defending champions, and seize home-ground advantage to claim more gold medals.
“The reason why we train our athletes is because we want them to be champions, and from what I can see during their training sessions, there are some who are already in high spirits.
“Furthermore, we want to avenge our loss to Sabah from the previous Para Sukma 2022, where we lost the overall champions’ crown by just four gold medals.
“Since Sarawak will be hosting Para Sukma 2024, this is the perfect time for us to be the champions again for the 14th time,” she said.
And as everyone predicted, the state became overall champion for both of the games, with Sarawak clinching 76 gold, 54 silver and 69 bronze, for a total of 209 medals.
In Para Sukma, Sarawak clinched 82 gold, 53 silver and 74 bronze, for a total of 207 medals.
Reflecting on Sarawak becoming the overall champion for the fourth time, Abdul Karim said it was a deeply satisfying achievement, especially after 30 years.
“Back in 2016, when we hosted Sukma, we narrowly missed the championship by two gold medals, and that loss stayed with me.
“This time, everything aligned perfectly – the athletes performed exceptionally, and the support from our Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and the people of Sarawak made all the difference,” he said.
On the other hand, despite only missing by one gold medal (initial target was 83 gold medals) during Para Sukma, Fatimah was impressed and satisfied with the overall performance of the athletes throughout the event.
She said while Sarawak did not meet its goal of 83 gold medals, the most important aspect is its overall victory,
“For instance, the athletics team set a target of 30 gold medals and surpassed it with 33.
“Similarly, the swimming team aimed for 15 gold medals and delivered 17, exceeding their target by two. Most teams met or exceeded their goals,” she said.
When Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced in 2023 that Sarawak would take the helm of the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma and Para Sukma XXI), all eyes turned to the state with a mix of anticipation and scrutiny.
Could Sarawak rise to the challenge of organising Malaysia’s premier sports showcase?
The answer lay in the leadership and dedication of Abdul Karim (Sukma) and Fatimah (Para Sukma).
Together with their respective ministries, they orchestrated an extraordinary effort, meticulously preparing facilities, accommodations, and infrastructure to cater not only to athletes but also to every member of the delegations from across the country, including Brunei Darrusalam.
Not only was the Games a resounding triumph, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, speaking at the closing ceremony, declared it the finest edition of Sukma he had ever witnessed.
“I was outstation when I watched the opening ceremony and it was simply the best.
“Sarawak’s Sukma opening ceremony could rival that of the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he said.
Aside from personal records been broken by some of the Sarawakian athletes throughout Sukma and Para Sukma, one of the most memorable moments was none other than Jonah Chang Rigan.
This was following his achievement of securing three gold medal when he triumphed in the men’s hammer throw with a distance of 54.65m.
Jonah had previously clinched gold in both the men’s discus throw and shot put events, including a new Games record for the latter of 17.66m.
Sarawak did not just host Sukma and Para Sukma, it redefined excellence, proving once again that when ambition meets preparation, anything is possible.
