KUCHING: The construction of the new Mountain Bike Track (MBT) facility at Bukit Siol needs to be expedited to allow Sarawak athletes to get acquainted with the track.
Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the appointed contractor must accelerate construction works to give space for Sarawak athletes to use the track.
“When this track can be used, the athletes can familiarise themselves with the track providing an advantage to the Sarawak contingent as the host for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) 2024.
“We need to take this opportunity to achieve overall victory in the coming Games that will take place soon.”
Abdul Karim was addressing a press conference on the Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge (SIMBC) 2024 at Baitulmakmur Building II on Thursday (May 16).
Elaborating further, he said the Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) has added a new category to the SIMBC 2024 which will take place from June 21 to 23.
The new categories are Cross-country Olympic Malaysia Closed and DownHill Event Malaysia Closed specifically for athletes involved in the upcoming Sukma.
“This addition is seen as an opportunity for athletes throughout Malaysia to prepare for the upcoming tournament.”
The Mountain Bike Track (MBT) facility at Bukit Siol will be used for both the bicycle motocross (BMX) events and mountain bike events during the coming SUKMA 2024.
For the record, the SIMBC 2024 will welcome more than 250 participants from Brunei, Chinese Taipei, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and all states in Malaysia.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, said organising events such as these will promote the city of Kuching, especially Sarawak as a destination that should be visited by tourists.
“Events like this are effective in introducing our state as a tourist destination.
“There are many things that can be highlighted including the food and culture of the various ethnic communities here.”
Also present at the press conference was DBKU mayor Hilmy Othman.
