KUCHING: The Baton Run to promote the 18th Sukma (Malaysia Games) which Sarawak is hosting in July will begin in Lawas on Feb 13.
According to publicity sub-committee chairman Abang Sardon Abang Hashim, it will end here in Kuching on April 23, after passing through 41 districts and 12 divisional towns.
“We will have rest days in between so the actual run is about 22 days,” he said after chairing the monthly meeting for departments and agencies under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry yesterday.
Abang Sardon, who is Sarawak Information Department director, said some 100 runners would join in at each divisional town while at the districts there would be 200 runners each.
“This time we will reach out to those towns deep in the interior like Beluru, Long Lama, Tunoh, Belaga, Pusa and Tebedu.
“This is the first time the Run is reaching out to such rural towns to allow the local inhabitants to feel and participate in the spirit and joys of the Sukma,” he added.
Abang Sardon said the participants would include physically challenged athletes besides local dignitaries as well as sportsmen and sportswomen.
At each town and district visited, Abang Sardon said there would be side programmes like the state sports development exhibition, Sukma sports exhibition, mass exercise and lucky draws.
For this 18th edition of Sukma, Sarawak will play host to 6,000 athletes and 1,000 officials from all states in the country and Brunei.
It will feature 24 sports. — Bernama