REGATTA ATTRACTION: Abang Johari (fourth right) looks on as Ik Pahon (second right) hands over a paddle as souvenir to Hanifah. Also in the photo is Rashid (left).
KUALA LUMPUR: The iconic Sarawak Regatta scheduled for next month is very important as it will be held in conjunction with the celebration of Merdeka as well as the the 2011 IWWF Sarawak WakeBoard World Cup Championships, a world class event added for the first time.
In view of this, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) yesterday launched special travel packages for the regatta at its exhibition booth at the Matta Travel Fair 2011 held at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur.
Speaking during a press conference after the launch, Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Datuk Amar Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg urged the public to grab this fantastic opportunity to travel to Kuching to experience the excitement that this annual event brings.
“Come and visit Sarawak during the regatta and experience for yourself the land where adventure lives. This year’s regatta is very special as Sarawak will also be having the IWWF Sarawak WakeBoard World Championships to coincide with the event,” he said.
The WakeBoard championship will see about 30 World Cup wakeboarders from across the world including USA, Canada, Australia, France and Russia competing for titles and the US$100,000 prize money.
In addition to the main competitions, Abang Johari revealed that his ministry has also decided to bring in the world famous “Stars of Florida Waterski Show Team” who would certainly wow the crowd with their stunts.
“With the world event being held alongside the regatta, there is no doubt the status of the regatta would be enhanced and Sarawak would be placed on the world tourism map,” he said.
According to Abang Johari, the Sarawak Regatta bega as early as 1872 as a game of peace and passion to unite the warring tribes of Borneo.
“It has a long history and colourful past. The Sarawak Regatta has been a premier water sport event for the state, with a distinct historical and cultural significance,” he said.
He added: “Sarawak is a state with many rivers which are part and parcel of people in Sarawak. That’s why this event is being organised year after year to depict our culture and way of life.”
Besides the boat race, Abang Johari also recommended other interesting places to visitors such as the national parks, the World Heritage sites and the Orang Utan Sanctuary.
Meanwhile, the event director of IWWF International Waterski & WakeBoard Federation Hanifah Yoong who was also present at the launch explained that wakeboarding was normally held in a man-made lake or dam but this year, wakeboarders will put their skills to test in the Sarawak River.
“In the past, the World Cup had been held in man-made lakes like in the one in Changsa, China and the Bedok Resevoir in Singapore. It will be very interesting this year to see wakeboarders show their talents on the river,” Yoong said.
The federation also hopes to promote watersports such as water skiing to Sarawak by working closely with the Sarawak government.
“We want to bring this sport closer to the people of Sarawak and at the same time, create additional water recreational activities for tourists,” he said.
On top of that, the secretary of the Sarawak Regatta, Paul Kawin Pipo, mentioned that they would be proposing to hold a Miss Regatta competition and set up ‘Box Seat’ area that would accommodate 100 to 200 people.
“We propose to provide a ‘Box Seat’ area for tourists where they could taste exotic Sarawakian food while witnessing the regatta. Other than that, we will also proposed rock climbing and blow pipe games which are mainly customer-focused events,” he explained.
People of all races, cultures and beliefs will once again gather at the Kuching Waterfront and along the banks of the Sarawak River to witness this truly cultural sport extravaganza for four days from Sept 15.
The Sarawak River will be filled with boats of multiple colours and sizes with thousands cheering in excitement.
Apart from that, there will also be many side events to be held alongside the regatta namely Craft Exhibition, Trade and Food Fair as well as Cultural Show and Night Entertainment.
The regatta will be expecting a total crowd of more than 100,000.