SLTA proves worth yet again

Sarawak tennis gets special RM80,000 govt grant for tourneys

KUCHING: For the second year running, Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) is getting a special RM80,000 government grant to organise the two Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup tournaments here.

BIG PLANS: Liew (second right) talks to The Borneo Post’s acting editor in chief Jimmy Adit as chief reporter Churchill Edward (left) and reporter Samuel Aubrey look on during a visit to The Borneo Post’s office.

The grant comes directly from Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud himself.

Unlike the grants given to SLTA for its annual expenditure, this particular one, first given in 2009, is special because it is solely for the Sarawak CM’s Cup tournaments.

SLTA president Patrick Liew said this grant showed the huge support and recognition from the state government.

“We are now being recognised as one of the best organisers of an ITF (International Tennis Federation) tournament … so much so that the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup was last year nominated for the International Giorgio Binoni Award for Sports Promotion organised by Italian-based Premio Binchi,” he said.

The first Sarawak CM’s Cup tournament of the year – the ITF World Junior Championship (Grade I) – will start next Monday.

Liew said this tournament had attracted more than 100 players, including highly ranked juniors from 30 countries.

Some will be arriving as early as today to acclima-tise.

He added that the second Sarawak CM’s Cup tournament was for players under Grade III of the ITF World Junior Championship

Liew said tennis in Sarawak reached a milestone this year when two of its players Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam and Mohd Assri Merzuki were selected for the national Davis Cup senior team.

“Two of the four players in the Davis Cup team are from Sarawak.

“They’re just 15 and 16 while the national Davis Cup players are usually in their 20s.”

He also said with the present batch of players, Sarawak could win more medals in Sukma XIII.

The state’s best haul was three gold and five silver medals in Sukma 2008 in Terengganu.

On the plans to build a centre in Bau, he said the state government was presently looking for a suitable site.

“The centre will comprise up to seven courts and we need it for the development of the sport in Bau.

“At the moment, there is only one good court in Bau despite rising interests among the locals to take up the sport,” he said.

Bau was the first rural town to be covered by SLTA under its outreach programme last year. The other was Kapit.