Suksar is main platform to select boxers for Sukma

KUCHING (Jan 29): Sarawak boxing team head coach Mohamad Helman Morni has urged young and aspiring boxers to demonstrate their skills at the upcoming Sarawak Games (Suksar IV 2026) if they aim to don the state colours at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Selangor this August.

When contacted on Wednesday, Helman said Suksar will serve as the main evaluation platform for the Sukma 2026 team.

“As the head coach, I emphasise that Suksar 2026 is the arena to assess potential for the formation of the Sukma 2026 team. Every boxer is required to show their best performance, maintain high training discipline, demonstrate full commitment and have the mental readiness to compete at top-level championships such as Sukma,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Amateur Boxing Association (Saba) president Dato Rahman Lariwoo, when also reached for comment, said he expects Suksar to be part of the selection process before the Sukma team is finalised.

“After Suksar, we will have a long list, then finalise the boxers. For Sukma in the last two years, some of them were retained but a selection process is still needed,” he added.

Boxing at Suksar IV 2026 will take place at the Indoor Stadium of the Sri Aman Sports Complex from Feb 5 to 8.

The 4th edition of Suksar, co-hosted across Sri Aman and Betong, features 11 sports and will see over 1,000 athletes from the North, Central, West and South Zones competing for state recognition.

It will officially open on Feb 4 at Dewan Sukan Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan in Betong with the closing ceremony scheduled for Feb 8 at the Sri Aman Indoor Stadium.

Saba is looking to select nine male and three female boxers to represent Sarawak in this year’s Sukma.

Selected boxers will undergo a series of international exposure and training stints leading up to Sukma.

These include the Sarawak International Boxing Championships in Miri in May, training stints in Pontianak and Jakarta in June, and a final month-long camp in Manila in July.