Win first, think of incentives later: Minister wants S’wak athletes to secure gold medal wins in Sukma 2024

Abdul Karim speaking to reporters after appearing as a guest on a talk show at TVS in Kuching on Aug 5, 2024.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Aug 6: It is important for Sarawak’s athletes participating in Malaysia Games (Sukma) 2024 to focus on winning gold medals first instead of looking at it from the perspective of incentives, says Minister of Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

According to a Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) news report, Abdul Karim was commenting the incentives for Sarawakian athletes who secure gold medals at Sukma 2024, which has not been announced yet.

“The matter requires careful discussion and consideration by the Sarawak Cabinet before being announced,” he said.

However, he said that he believes the amount will be equal or more compared to other states.

“We don’t need to announce it first. We want our athletes to only focus on how to achieve victory for Sarawak and their own personal achievements.

“This is very important for an athlete; don’t look at it only from the incentives perspective,” he said after appearing as a guest on a talk show at TVS yesterday (Aug 5).

On the Olympics, he said Sarawakian athletes who win gold medals will receive half of the incentive offered by the federal government, which is similar to past editions of the games.

“I hope that Sarawakian athletes there (Olympics) will be able to perform well, and we will know how to repay their contributions to the nation and State,” he said. — DayakDaily