Abd Karim: Cabinet to determine incentives for Sarawak’s Sukma gold medallists

KUCHING (Aug 6): The incentives for Sarawak’s 21st Malaysian Games (Sukma XXI) gold medallists are still being determined, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

The Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister said careful discussion and consideration by the state Cabinet is needed before the final decision is announced.

However, he said the amount should be equal or more than those of other states.

“We don’t want to announce it first. We want the athletes to only focus on achieving victory for Sarawak and personal success when they enter the court or stadium.

“This is very important as an athlete; never look at it from an incentive perspective. We know how to reward athletes who win,” he said in a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report.

On the Olympic Games, he said Sarawakian athletes who manage to win a gold medal will receive half of the total incentives offered by the federal government, just like during the last edition of the Olympics.

“Whether we maintain that or not depends on the performance of these athletes.

“My hope is that the Sarawak athletes who are there can give the best performance and we will know how to repay their contributions to the country and also to Sarawak,” he said.

Abdul Karim also said he hoped the organisation of Sukma XXI will go smoothly, especially in terms of preparations, dance performances, parades, and fireworks for the opening and closing ceremonies.

He called on Malaysians to watch live the 37 sports that will be contested at 50 venues, via TVS and RTM, to experience more closely the excitement of the country’s prestigious games from Aug 17-24.

This will be the third time Sarawak plays host to Sukma after the 1990 and 2016 editions.