KUCHING: A lofty prize pool of US$20,000 will be up for grabs in the inaugural Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship.
This first ever international tournament will be held from February 27 until March 5, 2023 at Indoor Stadium Sarawak.
Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah revealed that there will be up to 11 countries and 11 states within Malaysia sending their athletes for this event.
“We will be sending two teams from Sarawak, which are Team A and Team B with 63 participants in total.
“I am told that Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, Thailand, Netherlands, USA, Singapore and Uzbekistan will be sending their representatives for this competition.
“Other states in Malaysia will be sending their representatives too, like Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Perlis, Terengganu, Sabah and etcetera.
“PDRM and ATM will also be sending their best team as well,” Karim told the reporters during the press conference of the tournament held at BaitulMakmur II today.
Karim added that around 800 participants and officials in total are expected to attend this tournament.
Karim also revealed that Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari TunOpeng will officiate the opening ceremony on February 27 at 8pm.
“Besides the lofty prize pool, the winners will also be given medals and championship belts for their achievements.
“Other than the exciting actions inside the stadium, there will be a lot of events being held around the outskirts of the stadium as well like karaoke contest, performance, carnival, and booths,” he said.
Karim, who is also the Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, called on silat enthusiasts to attend the event and show their support towards this inaugural international silat tournament in Sarawak.
“Hopefully this tournament will receive strong reception from Sarawakians and other parts of Malaysia.
“We are not only hoping that this will promote the culture of silat but also boosting our tourism sector as well.
“We hope this could end up as being another sport tourism which will be held annually moving forward just like our own international event that is known far and wide like Rainforest World Music Festival,” Karim said.
He also hoped that this event will be a chance for the athletes to get themselves prepared and in shape for SUKMA 2024.
