MIRI: Miri Division Bodybuilding Association (PBBBM) is considering hosting the Mr Malaysia championships in 2020.
Its president Jamilah Ibrahim believes that her side is ready for the task, adding that it has been more than 11 years since the city last hosted the national-level competition.
“We hosted Mr Malaysia in 2005 and we would like to see the return of the event to Miri in 2020. SBBA now has a new, energetic team and we are confident of our capability to do the hosting job.
“Moreover, we want to continue the momentum of Sarawak being a powerhouse in Malaysian bodybuilding,” she announced after chairing a meeting recently on preparations for this year’s annual Mr Miri and Mr Sarawak championships — both to be staged at the Boulevard Shopping Mall here on April 15 and 30, respectively.
For the record, Sarawak staged Mr Malaysia five times throughout the competition’s 48-year history – after Miri, Sibu was the host last year, while Kuching held the national-level event three times: in 1974, 1983 and 1996.
This year, the competition will be run at the 1M4U Sentral in Puchong, Selangor from May 19 to 21.
On Mr Miri 2017, Jamilah said she was very pleased that apart from the usual bodybuilding categories, PBBBM would also include the Athletics Physique (AP) segment this year.
“Actually for Mr Miri, we hold this category (AP) every year but this time, the contestants truly get the chance to represent the Miri zone in that category at Mr Sarawak. Previously, this category was not part of the championships either in Mr Sarawak or Mr Malaysia,” she said.
The Malaysian Bodybuilding Federation (MBBF) – organiser of Mr Malaysia – is introducing AP to the national bodybuilding event this year, following the outstanding achievements of athletes from this category at international championships and also the tremendous growth seen in this category over the past five years.
The AP has two sub-categories – Under and Above-170 cm.
Meanwhile, Jamilah said preparations were underway to host this year’s Mr Sarawak, adding that the theme would be ‘a tribute to Sarawak bodybuilding’.
“This year marks the 52nd anniversary of Mr Sarawak. As you can see, it is the ‘older brother’ of Mr Malaysia,” she quipped.
Youth and Sports and Solidarity Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin has been invited to officiate the opening ceremony.
