Datuk Abdul Karim
KUCHING: Sarawak could boast a high performance sports centre within the next three years.
This was revealed by Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youths and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah yesterday.
“Near our sports complex here, we have got a school and we want to change that school into a sports school.
“But it has to be agreed upon by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia and the Ministry of Education Malaysia.
“One Ministry had tentatively agreed and we are still in the process of negotiation with another Ministry,” he said after receiving a courtesy call from the Sarawak Arm Sport Association (Sasa) delegates here yesterday.
Upon the agreement of both Ministries, he added, the next thing will be to build hostels.
The school, the hostels and the whole sports complex would then be placed at the disposal of the centre. The Minister further said that Sarawak wants to study the New Zealand model. He noted that despite a population of only four million New Zealand has won multiple gold medals in the Olympic Games.
“I will be leading a team comprising Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sport permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee, Sarawak Sports Corporation CEO Dr Ong Kong Swee and others to New Zealand on March 12.
“We will have some visitation to the centre of high performance sports there and we will try to see how we can have some bilateral arrangement for them to assist us in developing this centre of high performance,” he added.
Such a centre, he believes, will boost Sarawak sport to a higher level and make Sarawak a sports powerhouse.