BY ALEXANDRA LORNA & NATASHA JEE
KUCHING: There is a proposal to revive the Borneo Games, a regional sports event involving Sarawak and Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan.
Making the suggestion was Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg who noted that the Games would foster camaraderie and athletic excellence among Borneo’s neighbouring countries.
“I’m throwing the idea to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. We want to have the Borneo Games, a sports event for the Borneo countries which includes Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), and our neighbouring countries Brunei and Indonesia, specifically Kalimantan.
“And God willing, I will bring up this idea with our friends, and I am confident this will be a platform for us to train our athletes for the international stage,” he said in his speech during the 21st Malaysia Games (SUKMA) dinner at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Wednesday night.
Abang Johari said the Borneo Games once existed in the past and expressed a strong desire to revive this tradition.
The first Borneo Games was hosted by Brunei in 1954. Later, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei took turns to host the Games; it was last held in Brunei in 2009.
“Of course, the next thing we are preparing for is the co-hosting the 2027 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, and we will discuss it with our neighbours and friends.
“If we can organise the Borneo Games, as it used to be, we want Kalimantan (Indonesia), Malaysia, and Brunei involved,” he added.
Abang Johari in a gesture of commitment to the initiative, said Sarawak would take the lead in sponsoring the first edition of the revived Borneo Games.
“No problem, Sarawak will try to sponsor the first Borneo Games,” he assured.
