KUCHING: The Sarawak government aspires to develop high performance sports centres in order to ensure that athletes in this state receive proper care and attention.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED), Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah stated that the initiative is one part of the sport development programme in the state.
“This includes a sports village costing RM30 million and it is almost completed, and that is where athletes from all types of sports will be put under to improve their skills further,” he said.
He added that his ministry at the moment is scouting for new talents, which include monitoring their training alongside restriction on their food and drink intake.
“Before this, we only train without monitoring properly our food intake, and now the training being done is combined with science through proper equipment, their intake of foods and drinks alongside data collection on the fitness of the athletes,” he said.
He said this when delivering his speech ahead of the handover ceremony of Youth and Sports 2023 grants at Waterfront Hotel here on Wednesday night.
In the meantime, Abdul Karim stated that more sports complexes will be developed in some districts in Sarawak in order to scout newer, young local talent in the sports arena.
“I hope that new talents from at least three to four types of sports can be discovered among residents from certain districts before they get pick up to undergo training in the sports village later,” he added.
For the record, grants totalling RM1,634,600 were given to 44 sports associations and sports clubs in Sarawak.
Also present during the ceremony were Deputy Minister of MYSED, Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, permanent secretary of MYSED Morshidi Frederick, president of Malaysia Taekwondo Association (WTF) cum Tanjung Datu assemblyman Azizul Annuar Adenan, Daro assemblyman, Safiee Ahmad, deputy chairman of Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim and other dignitaries..
