KUCHING: Swimming should not just be seen as purely a sports or recreation activity but also as survival skills, points out Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said Australian children knew how to swim as “they see it as a need”.
“So it is only relevant for inter-school swimming competition to be held so that more of our children will acquire swimming skills and be good at it,” said Dr Sim during the opening ceremony of the second Power Aquatics Swimming Club (PASC) Inter-Primary School Swimming Competition (Kuching and Kota Samarahan) at the Pandalela Rinong Aquatic Centre, yesterday.
He said a swimming competition would be a really good platform to nurture the talents of young Sarawakians to become a powerhouse in swimming.
“This aquatic centre was named after our home grown athlete, Pandalela Rinong, who is the first Malaysian to have won two medals in the Olympics.
“We are counting on you, the children of tomorrow, so that we can rise higher than what we have achieved today.
“I would also like to thank parents for spending their time today with their children and to show support for them as they do their best in the swimming competition.
“These days, if you don’t spend time with your children, they won’t spend time with you later on. So it is always good to spend time with them,” said Dr Sim.
