Sarawak eyes sports development restructuring

KUCHING: Sarawak will review its sports development programmes and consider restructuring to improve athlete performance at future Malaysia Games (SUKMA) editions.

Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu said the state would reassess its existing approach following the 2026 SUKMA in Selangor.

He said one of the challenges was that athletes were spread across Sarawak, making it difficult for some teams to train together consistently.

“When they are not together, it is difficult for them to become one team, especially in team sports,” he told reporters after the Sarawak Aquatics Anniversary Awards Night at Sarawak Club on Saturday (Oct. 17).

Rentap said the state wanted athletes in sports requiring greater attention to train together and develop as a team, with the longer-term aim of helping them progress to the national development pathway and eventually represent Malaysia.

He cited Sarawak bowler Nur Hazirah Ramli’s achievement in reaching the top 32 at the 2026 IBF World Cup in Munich as an example of local athletes showing potential on the international stage.

He also stressed that improving performance required commitment not only from athletes and coaches, but also from the leadership of sports associations.

“If you know that you cannot improve, I think it is about time new people take over,” he said.

However, Rentap said the state was not seeking to force leadership changes, but wanted to see stronger commitment and improvements from the respective sports.

He added that sports development should also include greater support in areas such as sports science, nutrition, physical fitness, mental preparation and athletes’ overall wellbeing.

Citing national track cyclist, Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, as an example, he said elite athletes required a comprehensive support system, including specialists in different aspects of training and preparation.

Rentap said investment in these areas was important to ensure sports development programmes delivered better results and helped more Sarawak athletes progress to the national level.

For the record, the post-mortem meeting between the sports associations and Chef-de-Mission of the Sarawak contingent for SUKMA XXII Selangor 2026 was held earlier this month on October 5.