SLTA remains committed to grassroots development and continuity

KUCHING (March 2): Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) president Datuk Patrick Liew has reaffirmed the association’s commitment to strengthening grassroots development while elevating its facilities to international standards.

At SLTA-KDLTA Chinese New Year courtside dinner at SLTA Tennis Centre on Saturday, he said SLTA has consistently upheld its tradition of fostering close ties among members alongside organising tournaments at both local and international levels.

“Beyond promoting tennis, we want to build strong relationships within our community and encourage members to bring in younger players to support our junior development programmes,” he said.

Liew, also Kuching Division Lawn Tennis Association (KDLTA) president and Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia vice president, stressed that nurturing the next generation remains a key priority, noting that many current members are ageing and must eventually be succeeded by younger talents.

“We must look ahead and develop future players. It is a necessary process to ensure continuity in the sport,” he added, expressing optimism over the emergence of promising young players in recent years.

Liew, who has been involved in the sport for over three decades, acknowledged that injuries have limited his time on court but assured that he remains fully committed to managing and guiding the association.

On a positive note, he revealed that SLTA has been identified as a venue for the 2027 SEA Games, which will be hosted in Kuching for the first time.

“This is a major milestone for us. We are grateful to the state government for its confidence and support in upgrading our facilities,” he said.

The upgrading works, expected to begin by May, will take six to eight months and will include the resurfacing of 13 courts, improved lighting for several courts, enhanced seating capacity, as well as additional facilities such as VIP rooms.

“Once completed, we believe this will be among the best tennis facilities in Malaysia,” he added.

Liew also highlighted SLTA’s recent international recognition, having received the Gold Recognition Award from the Asian Tennis Federation, placing it among a select few organisations in the region to achieve such honour.

He noted that the recognition would pave the way for more international tournaments to be hosted in Kuching.

Among the guests at the dinner were Deputy Minister of Transport (Rivers & Sea) cum Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, SLTA and KDLTA exco. Henry also allocated a RM5,000 grant to SLTA.