JOHOR BAHRU: Any state participating in the upcoming Para SUKMA XXI Sarawak 2024 must classify their competing athletes in their respective states, said Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
The Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Minister said proper and thorough athlete classification is crucial to avoid issues where athletes are not allowed to compete upon arrival in Sarawak.
“If this happens, it would be a significant loss, especially to athletes who have trained throughout the year and even longer for this championship.
“With increasing flight costs today, it would cause further losses if athletes are not allowed to compete upon their arrival. It will dampen their spirits.
“This is what we emphasise for the upcoming Para SUKMA. Classification must be done correctly and thoroughly at the state level so that when they arrive, they can participate in the sports events identified by their coaches,” she said.
She made these remarks during a media session after a courtesy visit of the Sarawak SUKMA and Para SUKMA XXI delegation on Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi at the Dato Ja’afar Muhammad Building here on Wednesday (Apr 24).
Meanwhile, Fatimah said the upcoming PARA SUKMA XXI Sarawak 2024 will take place from Sept 20 to 28, featuring 10 sports and 334 events.
A total of 13 states including Federal Territories and Labuan will participate this time.
Responding to the participating states’ requests, Fatimah said all the events will be held in Kuching to save costs borne by each team taking part in the sports.
The delegation was led by Minister of Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Johor is the eighth stop for the SUKMA and Para SUKMA XXI Sarawak delegation after visits to Penang, Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang starting from Apr 22.
The delegation is scheduled to visit Melaka and Negeri Sembilan today as part of the courtesy visit tour.
Also present were Deputy State Secretary (Operation) and chief executive officer of SUKMA XXI Sarawak 2024 Datuk Hii Chang Kee, MYSED permanent secretary Morshidi Fredrick, and other state government officials.
