SVA eye Sibu to stage volleyball at SEA Games

SIBU (Sept 1): Sarawak Volleyball Association (SVA) wants to lobby to host the volleyball competition for the 2027 SEA Games here.

“This is a big opportunity not to be missed and let us all lobby hard to bring volleyball to Sibu when Sarawak co-hosts SEA Games 2027,” said SVA deputy president Dr Gregory Hii.

Sarawak’s recent success in staging the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma) volleyball event in Sibu speaks volume of the association’s capabilities, he added.

Federal Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh recently announced that Sarawak, Sabah and Penang have agreed to co-host the regional multi-sport event.

She revealed that Sarawak had agreed to cover half, Sabah RM100 million and Penang RM15 million of the overall estimated hosting cost of RM700 million.

Hii said the Sibu Indoor Volleyball Stadium, which had been upgraded with a RM50,000 LED panel system, is a good place to stage international volleyball events.

It is also the first stadium in the country to be installed with the panel system, measuring 6.4m wide and 3.5m high, which could display not only the scores but also live feeds and other visuals to spectators, he added.

He noted that, during the recent Sukma, thousands of volleyball fans thronged the stadium each day to watch all the matches, filling the stadium to capacity.

Hosting the sport for the 2027 SEA Games would boost business opportunities for tourism, food, transport and hotel sectors in Sibu, he added.