Karim draws the sword to declare open the wushu competition while Wong (fourth left), and (from fourth right) Ong, Hii and WFS committee and organising committee look on. — Photo courtesy of Wushu Federation of Sarawak
KUCHING: Wushu should be supported and further promoted in Sarawak as it is one of the sports that could be utilised to promote and strengthen the unity among the various races in the state.
In pointing this out during the opening ceremony and welcoming dinner for the participants of the 8th Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM) Wushu Championship at a local hotel on Friday, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah noted that the traditional Chinese martial arts is now widely practised by many races other than the Chinese.
“Wushu is actually a popular sport in Sarawak and it has contributed quite a lot of medals for Sarawak in Sukan Malaysia (Sukma). The beauty that I can see in this sport is that it is also been able to encourage other ethnic races to get involved in it.
“This can be seen at Sukma wushu competition where it not just the Chinese who are participating but many other races,” he said.
He also believed that once the wushu stadium at the Sarawak Stadium Complex is ready, it would be able to bring the sport to even greater heights.
Karim said the KPM meet was a fine example of collaboration between KPM and Wushu Federation of Malaysia, and he hoped that wushu could be incorporated into the Majlis Sukan Sekolah Malaysia (MSSM) calendar as one of the sports events.
“I am made to understand the national wushu body are lobbying for wushu to be a MSSM event in the future,” added Karim.
Also present were permanent secretary to Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Hii Chang Kee, Sarawak Sports Corporation chief executive officer Dr Ong Kong Swee, Wushu Federation of Sarawak president Allen Wong Siew Poh and deputy president James Ting Ing Seek.