HOPEFUL: File photo of Sulaiman at a tournament organised by the Sarawak Muay-thai Association.
KUCHING: Sarawak Muay-thai Association (SMA) Vice President Sulaiman Salleh has high hopes that the state will compete in Muay-thai at the next Sukma XVI in Kuala Lumpur.Following recent news from the Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) that the state will not be competing in at least six sports, Sulaiman is hoping that Muay-thai is not one of them.
“We are optimistic and we have been training very hard in preparing for the games. I understand that the decision has not been finalised but I hope that Sarawak would not rule out competing in the muay-thai events,” he added.
Sulaiman does not fully agree with the reasoning that Sarawak will not be competing in some sports in Sukma XVI due to the lack of competitive experience. Instead, he believes that SUKMA actually provides a good learning experience.
“I think we stand a chance to do well in the next Sukma… we will never know how we fare against the other states if we don’t start now,” he said.
Another reason for participation, he said, is that Sarawak is one of the martial arts sports powerhouses in the country.
The MSNS recently told the media that Sarawak will not be competing in at least six sports events as most of the events to be contested at the Sukma XVI are very new to Sarawak.
There was concern that there might not be enough experienced state athletes to compete in some of the events in Sukma XVI. Limited time remains for Sarawak to prepare for these events.