Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) first and last visited Sabah in 2002, when Sabah became the host of the biennial national sports event 18 years ago. It would be a meaningful comeback should the state host it again for the second time in 2022, 20 years later.
However, Sabah is in dire need of upgrading its existing sports facilities and possibly building new ones in view of the upcoming national event and for future development and training of our athletes as there has not been any significant renovation since SUKMA 2002.
In fact, even in 2002 when Sabah hosted the 9th SUKMA, we had to utilize private facilities to host certain events as there are no dedicated facilities for those sports ie. Centre Point Shopping Mall for Bowling, Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School for Wushu. Until today, Sabah is still lacking of sport facilities such as indoor cycling (velodrome), indoor arena, shooting range, sailing centre building.
Furthermore, many sports events have seen new rules and regulations being introduced over the past 2 decades, which calls for new equipment and facilities to be in place in order to accommodate these new changes. ie Running track has not been changed and is hazardous for athletes during competition.
Yet, despite not having adequate facilities, Sabah has proven herself to be an invaluable state in training and producing many athletes with the potential to represent Malaysia. Just imagine the achievements Sabah can bring to the table should these facilities are made available to us in the past 10 years. I am confident that with the proper installation and maintenance of all our equipment and facilities, Sabah will produce many more world-class athletes to represent and bring glory to Malaysia at international levels.
Natural Beauty of Sabah
Sabah has so much more to offer not only in terms of sports but also as a national tourism haven to showcase the natural beauty of Malaysia to all Malaysians: from picturesque mountain views to world-class heritage site such as the renowned Sipadan Island and Mount Kinabalu.
Hosting SUKMA 2022 in Sabah means that not only will we be able to upgrade our sport facilities and produce athletes in the long run for the country but Malaysians from all over the country will convene in Sabah to enjoy and indulge in these God-given natural resources with their family members and loved ones. As an international tourism spot, Sabah has the capacity with sufficient hotels, AirBnBs, homestay to accommodate all Malaysians should we get to host SUKMA 2022.
SUKMA 2022: Bridging Rural & Urban
Disparity, Sharing Development & Prosperity
I am aware that some other states are also bidding for the same rights to host SUKMA 2022, with the most prominent one being Selangor. I am happy that other states are rising up to the challenge to host the biennial sport event.
However, compared to Sabah, Selangor is a way developed state with the highest GDP of all states in Malaysia, and they are right to mention(1) that even with minimal support from the federal government, they have the economic position, capacity and sport facilities to confidently host SUKMA 2022. For example, Selangor athletes have easier access to sport equipment and facilities in nearby vicinity such as in Kuala Lumpur but unfortunately that is not the case for us in East Malaysia especially in Sabah. Most of our elite athletes have to travel across the South China Sea to Peninsular in order to receive training due to the lack of proper facilities here in Borneo.
With their outstanding economic position and capacity, Selangor should instead fix their gaze on hosting larger/international sport events such as the biennial SEA Games, or the quadrennial Commonwealth Games in 2026(2) and with all due respect, leave national events and the opportunity for facility upgrades to more needy “states” such as Sabah, which has the potential to be a powerhouse but lacks the necessary funding and opportunity to do so.
As a member of the component party of Pakatan Harapan, I believe it is high time for the federal government to consider sharing the wealth and funding to develop East Malaysia as equal partners of the Federation to bridge the disparity of development between the two peninsula islands.
Despite lacking proper facilities and lagging behind in development, the Sabah State government through my ministry has been faithfully hosting and organizing the state event Sabah Games (SAGA) every two years consecutively since 2003, with over 7,000 athletes from 27 districts across the state joining the event. That is why I have faith and confidence that our officials and volunteers have the necessary technical experiences and capabilities to host SUKMA, which has a similar scale size with that of SAGA.
In my humble opinion, SUKMA 2022 is the best opportunity for Sabah to return to its former glory as sports powerhouse with the necessary allocation from the Federal government to refurbish and upgrade our existing sports equipment and facilities. As Minister of Youth Sports of Sabah, I beseech and call upon the Federal government as well as other states to share this opportunity and the resources with poorer states such as Sabah so as to allow funding and development to flourish in poorer states, thereby achieving a true “Shared Prosperity Vision” as envisioned by our Prime Minister.
PHOONG JIN ZHE, MINISTER OF YOUTH & SPORTS SABAH
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