KUCHING: Basketball is a healthy sport that not only serves as a platform to discover new talent but also fosters closer bonds among people of different races.
Sarikei MP Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii lauded Syarikat Kalulong Sdn Bhd for recently organising the 2023 Sarikei U12 Basketball Tournament (U12 Kalulong).
“I believe that a basketball competition held in this manner can further enhance goodwill among multi-racial players, uncover new talent, and identify potential, disciplined players who can represent Sarikei at a higher level,” he said when officiating at the opening ceremony of the basketball tournament here recently.
Huang, who is also the Repok assemblyman, then said that in such competitions, the quality of a team is not solely determined by winning or losing but is also evaluated based on sportsmanship, unity, tolerance, the ability to accept defeat, and celebrating the winning team.
“I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation to all those who directly or indirectly contributed to the success of today’s competition.
“I also hope to witness the continuation of such events in the years to come,” he added.
Later, Huang also presented a donation of RM30,000 to the Repok Basketball Club and RM10,000 to the Sarikei Division Basketball Association to support their various activities.
Meanwhile, the tournament’s primary objective is to nurture and identify young basketball talent among school students under the age of 12 and enable them to participate in higher-level competitions.
A total of 27 primary schools from the Sarikei and Meradong areas participated in the tournament, with a total of 73 teams divided into 39 male teams and 34 female teams.
