KUCHING: Winners of the Raja Sungai or King of the River will walk away with RM20,000 in the 8th Sarawak Regatta competition.
“To raise the standard of water sports here, the Sarawak Regatta has been included as one of the activities in the tourism calendar,” said Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah on Yesterday (Sept 13).
“To increase participation from abroad, prizes for the winners have also been improved,” he added.
The Sarawak Regatta final for the ‘Raja Sungai’ crown will be held on Nov 6 and Head of State, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib are expected to attend.
This year, a total of 14 categories will be contested, involving perahu balok, perahu bidar and perahu kenyalang.
A new category, the perahu tambang, is being introduced to preserve the heritage of the popular riverine transport.
In total, the Sarawak Regatta, which offers cash prizes totalling RM254,000, will involve 26 qualifying stages and 14 finals.
The ‘Raja Sungai’ will take home a trophy and cash amounting to RM20,000. Second place will bring back RM10,000 and third place, RM8,000.
The date for the sale of entry forms is Sept 14 at the Sarawak Rivers Board office, 2nd Floor, Electra House building. The closing date is Oct 17 at noon.
