KOTA SAMARAHAN: Sabah’s Industrial Training Institute (ILP) athletes dominated the East Zone Industrial Training Institute Sports Championship (SWiT-7) which ended yesterday at ILP Samarahan.
The overall champion trophy was won by ILP Sandakan after they bagged 7 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals. Coming in second was ILP Kota Kinabalu which collected 6 gold, silver and 4 bronze while ILP Miri finished third with 3 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze medals.
In fourth and fifth placings were ILP Kota Samarahan and ILP Labuan respectively.
ILP Sandakan reigned supreme in futsal, netball, volleyball, basketball, dart, tennis and table tennis. ILP Kota Kinabalu ruled the field and track events which were introduced for the first time this year. Their men and women athletes won gold in the 100M, 200M and 4X 100M relay while the 4X400M gold was won by ILP Sandakan’s men and women quartet.
The director of ILP Samarahan Azhari Ibrahim said that athletes of the participating industrial training institute had shown excellent sportsmanship throughout the meets.
“As the host I would like to thank all those taking part in this year’s sports meet and hope to meet again at ILP Sandakan in 2013,” he said after the closing ceremony.
Azhari added that the sports’ meet was aimed to build healthy workforce among the trainees before they were employed.
“As industrial institute trainees for human resource they spend 70 percent of their time here in workshop, therefore in order to build their characters into the balance they have to take up sports,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
The sports meet saw an increase participation of athletes from 300 in 2005 to 800 in this year’s championship.