KUCHING: The president of the Sarawak State Boxing Association (SABA), Datuk Rahman Lariwoo fully supports the efforts of the Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah to bring about the organising of the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) to Sarawak in 2024.
According to him, Sarawak deserves to once again be the host because it has complete sports facilities and is internationally recognised.
In addition, he said, other facilities such as hotels, transportation and places to eat are also numerous and sufficient to meet the needs of contingents from other states visiting Sarawak.
“On behalf of the sports association, we are proud of Datuk Seri Abdul Karim’s efforts to bring SUKMA to Sarawak in 2024.
“Of course SABA is very supportive of this effort because we believe Sarawak is capable of hosting the country’s prestigious games,” Rahman told Arena Suara Sarawak/New Sarawak Tribune.
He believes that the state government will definitely support the organisation of SUKMA here because it is in line with the vision of making Sarawak a sports powerhouse in Malaysia.
Rahman added, if Sarawak is the host, it will definitely be the best opportunity to reclaim the overall title which was last won 30 years ago in 1994 in Perak.
In this regard, he said, SABA and other sports associations are determined to give their best to ensure that Sarawak’s athletes win the gold, thus realising the dream of returning to the title of SUKMA champion.
Previously, Abdul Karim in a ceremony here recently, revealed that Sarawak is ready to host SUKMA 2024 if no other state wants to host it.
He said this after learning that Johor, which was supposed to be the host, rejected the offer to organise the biennial games for the 2024 edition.
The matter, he said, was discussed during the Youth and Sports Exco meeting with the Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh.
The last time Sarawak hosted SUKMA was in 2016 where the Bumi Kenyalang contingent finished second overall behind Selangor with a difference of two gold medals.
