KUCHING: Sarawak hopes to win the Malaysia Games (Sukma) overall title this year, leveraging their home field advantage.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah expressed confidence that Sarawak can capitalise on their host role despite the lack of a specific medal aim.
“Overall, the title has proven to be quite evasive. We have not been the overall winners for 30 years, we last achieve this in 1994.
“We have placed second, third, or fourth since then. Being consistently in the top five means that we are never far from the top position. We need to make 2024 our year, I’ve told our athletes,” he said during the 1st Asean Tourist Guides Conference press session on Thursay (May 2).
He added that the 10m women’s platform diving event will be reintroduced while women’s futsal has been dropped from the 21st Sukma which will take place in Sarawak this August.
He said it was the result of discussions in the Sukma Supreme Committee meeting with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, and the state contingents involved.
He stressed that each event must see participation from a minimum of six states to be contested in Sukma.
“However, the women’s futsal event had to be dropped because it did not meet the minimum participation of athletes from six states.”
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said there was another event that was dropped but it would be informed later, besides among the events that were reinstated were synchronised swimming, poomsae taekwondo, and several other events.
He added that the upgrading works on sports facilities are progressing smoothly and expected to be completed by June.
