Sarawak steps up sports integrity ahead of 2027 SEA Games

KUCHING (Sept 23): Sarawak is stepping up efforts to strengthen integrity and governance in the sports sector ahead of its co-hosting of the 2027 SEA Games, with about 500 delegates expected to attend the Sarawak National Sports Integrity Conference (SNSIC) 2026.

State Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the three-day conference, to be held from Sept 28 to 30 at the Hikmah Exchange Event Centre here, would feature a one-day high-level conference followed by two days of technical workshops.

He said the event was organised by the Sarawak Government through the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit (UNIONS), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and his ministry.

It is also supported by the Sarawak State Department of Youth and Sports, Sarawak Sports Corporation, National Sports Council of Malaysia and the Regional Sports Commissioner of Sarawak.

“The theme is ‘Strengthening System, Safeguarding Spirit, Increasing Global Standard for Sports Integrity’,” he told a press conference at his office at the Baitulmakmur II building here.

Abdul Karim said the Sept 28 conference would feature a keynote address by UNODC, a presentation by the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS), as well as panel discussions involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Royal Malaysia Police and Asian Football Confederation.

Presentations by the International Cricket Council and the Sport Law Association of Malaysia would also form part of the programme.

He said the technical workshops on Sept 29 and 30 would involve about 100 targeted participants, including public officers involved in procurement, legal and enforcement personnel, and sports association administrators from across Malaysia.

“The participants will gain hands-on skills to scrutinise public procurement, detect illegal betting activities and manage match-fixing cases,” he said.

Abdul Karim said the conference was particularly timely as Sarawak would co-host the SEA Games with the Federal Government in 2027, with the opening ceremony and the largest number of sports scheduled to be held in the state.

He said Sarawak wanted to demonstrate that hosting major sporting events involved not only providing facilities and managing competitions, but also ensuring strong governance and integrity throughout the process.

“We want to show to the world that when we are, apart from being a good host, apart from being able to make sure that the athletes will be participating in a sporting way, we want to make sure also that everything is in order,” he said.

Abdul Karim said the state also wanted the conference to go beyond discussions by encouraging integrity to become standard practice among those involved in managing sports.

He said the conference would provide a platform for sharing best practices, strengthening professional networks and promoting integrity among sports administrators and other stakeholders.

Also present were State Deputy Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu; Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya; Deputy State Secretary (Operations) Datu Hii Chang Kee; and Sarawak Sports Council director Mu’azamir Jili.