Tuesday, 2 April 2019

Sports Minister lays out priorities on new facilities

April 2, 2019

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has decided to speak his mind on the provision of new facilities for the various sports.

“Not everyone will get their sports facilities approved, and it depends on how popular the sport is, and how much they have contributed to the success of that particular sport if they want to see the facilities approved,” he said when met at 6th Samarahan Bike Challenge on Sunday.

Abdul Karim, who is also the state assemblyman for Asajaya, revealed that almost all kinds of sports have own proposal to have their own complex.

Sports with strong participation or demands in Sukma or Malaysia, SEA, Asian or Olympic Games ought to be given some priority, he said.

For the other sports “maybe we should hold for a while and give priority to other important ones.”

He used the example of cycling where he said the State Government has plans to have a Velodrome.

“It is at planning stage, and I will bring this matter to the Chief Minister, and he knows about this idea.”

Cycling, he noted, is one sport which involves many people and local or national cyclists have participated in the Sarawak Games (Suksar), Sukma, SEA, Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

“Looking at these achievements, strictly when you want to improve on cycling you must have a Velodrome. I hope we can have it in the near future, I would say within the next two years there must be a concrete planning and approval towards the establishment of a proper velodrome,” he said.

He revealed that the proposed velodrome will likely be built in or around the Petra Jaya Sports Complex.

“We are going to have quite a number new facilities, and apart from rugby and cricket, the state cabinet has also approved the Wushu building complex at the vicinity of the sports complex.

“Wushu has contributed so many gold medals for us,” he explained.

The Minister then reiterated why other sports which “have not contributed but are already asking for their own complex … to hold on a little bit (longer).

He stressed that there are procedures to follow.

“If everybody sees the Chief Minister on their proposals, then I am the one at the receiving end, that is not right!”, he quipped.

“By right, they should refer the matter to Sarawak Sports Corporation first, because they are the ones who managed the Sports Complex.” -TheBorneoPost
  

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