The centre stage is set for the much awaited 21st edition of PARA-SUKMA which is Malaysia's version of the Paralympics where Sarawak will be playing host to the 1,290 para-athletes from throughout the nation vying for top honours in the biennial event.
The games is on from September 23 to 28 in Kuching and Sarawak is fielding 213 of its para-athletes consisting of 143 men and 70 women who will be competing in all of the competitions.
We had the gathering with all of our para-athletes at Hikmah Exchange Events Centre (HEEC) recently and it was graced by the right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg who also presented the state flag "Ibu PertiwiKu" to the contingent.
Our esteemed premier had expressed his confidence for Sarawak to achieve its target of capturing the overall champion's title for the 14th time while bagging a total of 83 to seal the victory.
In his speech, our premier had mentioned that Sarawakians have a strong sports spirit, which is why he had emphasised on sports because it leads to an important factor which is discipline.
According to him, if all Sarawak athletes are disciplined, their performance will improve, and so will sports development. Hence, no efforts are spared in providing sufficient training for our Para SUKMA athletes, even if it means sending them to South Africa, as we believe in their potential.
He even mentioned the achievements of Sarawak-born Paralympic champion Bonnie Bunyau who had recently broken the world's powerlifting record in Paris. It was also announced that Sarawak para athletes who won gold medals would receive an incentive of RM15,000, while silver medallists will receive RM5,000 and bronze medallists, RM3,000.
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