BY AWANG MUHAMMAD SYAHMI & NATASHA JEE
KUCHING: The holding of the recent 2023 TYT Cup Muaythai Championship is timely as to prepare Sarawak Muaythai athletes for the Muaythai events at the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA).
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said at the same time, the competition allows the Sarawak State Muaythai Association (SSMA) to identify potential Muaythai athletes to represent the state team in the future.
“Looking at it from a tourism perspective, hosting an international Muaythai competition serves as a valuable platform to promote Sarawak to foreign nations.
“This will of course, generate economic benefits for various sectors such as tourism, hospitality, transportation, and food, among others.
“Therefore, as the Minister who is also responsible for looking after the tourism sector in Sarawak, I look forward to seeing more international sports events to be held in the state,” he said.
Abdul Karim said this in a speech which was read by Deputy Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu during the 2023 TYT Cup Muaythai Championship prize giving ceremony at the Amphitheatre, Jalan Taman Budaya here on Saturday evening.
On another note, he conveyed his appreciation to SSMA for organising the competition which took place from May 12 to 14.
The competition, he said, saw 200 Muaythai athletes from six countries namely Thailand, Cambodia, Yemen, Singapore, the Philippines and Morocco competing in the various categories namely, semi-professional and professional.
“The large number of participants shows that this competition is becoming more popular. Well done to SSMA under the leadership of its president Jumaat Ibrahim for the commitment to ensure that this prestigious competition continues to be organised after 10 years,” he said.
With that, Abdul Karim said his ministry remains committed to provide ongoing support for the organising of international sports competition as it gives athletes the opportunity to gain experience competing against top participants from around the world.
