SIBU: Outstanding sports leader Ting Siew Nguong from Sibu was picked the winner of the HKL Sports Volunteer Extraordinaire award during the selection committee meeting held here recently.
The award carries a prize money of RM1,500 cash plus a gold-plated commemorative medal.
Ting was picked among the five candidates, including two each from Kuching and Miri, who were nominated for the sports award which was under a different category of the Hii King Leng (HKL) Sports Scholarship Fund.
The fund, initiated by prominent sports personality Dr Gregory Hii Sui Cheng, was aimed at giving recognition to the outstanding and deserving sports personalities or volunteers who have contributed substantially and significantly towards the development of sports in Sarawak.
They could include managers, coaches, leaders or even financiers who had been running the organisations and working tirelessly behind the scene to ensure that Sarawak stay in the forefront in its pursuit for sports glory.
Hii said the fund was also made possible with new donation coming from his brother, Hii Sui Ann.
Ting was the Sarawak State School’s Athletic Technical Committee chairman since 1997 until present day and had led the state contingent to victory in the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Track and Field Championships for a record 15 times.
Since his appointment, Sarawak had unbelievably won the MSSM Track and Field Championship from 1997 to 1999, 2002 to 2008 and 2010 to 2014.
At the same time, he is also the secretary of Sibu Amateur Athletic Association and Sibu Basketball Association.
Ting is also the first Sarawak athletic coach to bring four athletics to represent Malaysia in the Asian Schools Cross Country Championship in Ulan Bator, Mongolia in 2012 where they returned with the overall third placing in the girls category.
In 1998, Ting was awarded the ‘Kebesaran Negri Bintang Sarawak’ (BBS) by the state government for his excellent service in the education sector.
Meanwhile, for the HKL Top Sports Star Awards 2014, Hii said they had picked a total of 17 recipients out of 24 entrants from throughout the state.
The award carries a prize money of RM600, and for two year, plus a gold-plated commemorative medal.
The athletes are Queenie Ting Kung Ni and Grace Wong Xiu Mei from SMK Tinggi Sarikei, Cindy Sui Yea Zhen from SMK Methodist Sibu, Shirley Lau Kho Ee from SMK Bandar Sibu, Ngu Jiung Jing and Nee Gui Ping from SMK Chung Hua Sibu, Quek Lee Yong and Norris Foo from State Sports School SMK Tabuan Jaya, Lucas Chieng Tiew Lik from SMK Sacred Heart, Winston Sai, Lau Jik Sing, Wong Jing Huei, Wong Kuang Won, Eric Tiong, Yii Tiu Hu, Wong Xiao Jing and Jenny La from SMK Tong Hua Meradong.
Hii said the other seven athletes were not successful as they failed to meet the criteria on their academic performance which required a candidate to pass all subjects with at least 50 per cent of subjects scoring a grade B or above.
However, in view of the difficulty of the candidates to obtain good academic results, Hii said the committee had decided to lower the minimal requirements for academic achievement for next year’s edition.
From 2015 onwards, an athlete is only required to achieve five credit passes for SPM examinations.
For those who are assessed internally (like Form 1 and Form 2 students), he or she needs just to achieve credit passes in all the subjects sat.
Hii encouraged unsuccessful candidates to resubmit their entries for next year’s award before June 15, 2015.
They can download the application forms from hklsportsscholarship.blogspot.com
Meanwhile, Hii said the selection committee will fix a date next month for the awards to be presented to the recipients.