23 Dec 109 Sports facilities handed over to ssc
MIRI, Dec 21: A total of 109 sport facilities under the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYSS) have been officially handed over to Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC).
Beginning November 1 this year, a total of 168 Civic Centre (Dewan Suarah)and Sarawak Youth Camp staff will also be managed by the SSC.
Youth development in the state has been the Sarawak government’s priority, asserts Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who witnessed the handover at his ministry’s appreciation night event here last night.
He emphasised that the government viewed youth as the generation that could ensure continuity in the state’s development.
“It is crucial that we engage with and empower our youth with skills and expand their opportunities,” he highlighted, adding that the value of a country is assessed not by the riches in assets it possesses, but by its people.
“The young people are the future of our state, country’s development and future leaders,” he said.
As for MYSS, Abdul Karim added, its mission and vision is to maximise the youth’s potential as he believed they are the catalyst of state growth as well as asset to shape Sarawak into the nation’s sports powerhouse.
“Back in 2018, a year after my ministry was formed, together with the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, we planned to build a high performance sports centre to strengthen our sport infrastructure in an effort to make Sarawak a sports powerhouse in the country,” he revealed.
Abdul Karim added, the state government has also built several mini sport complexes around the state to facilitate training for athletes.
“Currently, we have 14 mini sport complexes statewide, and this (the construction of mini sport complexes) reflects the state government’s seriousness in developing our youths in sports,” he said.
Also present at the event were Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting, Lambir assemblyman Ripin Lamat, MYSS permanent secretary Nancy Jolhi and SSC chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Ong Kong Swee.
Source: DayakDaily