Sukma XXI: Sarawak’s cash incentive good morale booster for athletes, says deputy minister

KUCHING (Aug 17): The RM15,000 cash incentive announced by Sarawak for each gold medal won in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) XXI is good encouragement for their athletes to perform well, said federal Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Adam Adli.

He said such incentives shows appreciation for Sarawak’s own talents in sports, considering the state has produced many athletes who have represented Malaysia and brought honour to the country.

“Many Olympians are also from Sarawak. We never miss (having representatives from Sarawak). So, these cash incentives are one of the good initiatives and I can see other states also having similar incentives (for their own athletes).

“It is highly recommended our athletes who represent their state feel appreciated but at the same time, we should not assume it is the only goal,” he said at a press conference after visiting the Sukma XXI media centre today.

He was asked to comment on the announcement made by Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg on Friday that Sarawak athletes would be rewarded with RM15,000 cash incentives for each gold medal won.

On a related matter, Adam said the Sukma XXI hosted in Sarawak could be a good benchmark for future hosts of this biennial national multi-sport tournament.

He said the level of quality in the organisation of Sukma in Sarawak has been something to be proud of.

“We hope from now on, future Sukma events can use this as a benchmark. (It has been) so far so good. The available venues provided especially by the Sarawak government, though not newly-built, are located closed to the community.

“These are venues that bring the local community closer to the events, and also promote many other areas or parts of the state of Sarawak that can be visited (by visitors),” he said.

He also hoped the tournament, which officially launched today and will end on Aug 24, will proceed smoothly and provide a good experience for all the athletes participating.

“So far, we can see the competition between the states has started to heat up. We hope the sportsmanship continues and also maintain the spirit of our love and togetherness as one country,” he said.