Thursday, February 18, 2010

S’wak On Road To Excellence

BY TONY MARIADASS
Easterntimes

KUCHING: If only the other states’ sports councils and state governments in the country can emulate Sarawak, Malaysian sports will be placed on a firm footing for the future.

Sarawak is the one State that just do not sit round waiting for handouts from the Federal Government. It initiated many sports programmes on their own.

Yes, they do get assistance from the Federal Government through the National Sports Council’s branch in Kuching, but it is the action-orientated and foresight of the State Sports Council headed by the Minister of the Social Development and Urbanisation Ministry, Dato Sri William Mawan, that has put sports programmes for Sarawak in place.

However, Sarawak’s sport prowess is not recent. Sarawak produced top level athletes as early as the 60s when Kuda Ditta became the first Sarawak-born athlete to qualify for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Sarawak’s real prowess actually made its mark starting from the late 80s.

Much credit of Sarawak’s rise can be attributed to the hosting of Sukma for the first time here in 2000.

I was there personally as a guest of the Sarawak Sports Council for the pre-Games tour and I covered the Games eventually.

Sarawak emerged as Sukma champions for the first time that year and it was no surprise seeing all the work they had put into the preparation. It was one of the best Games organised and Sarawak raised the bar for the rest to emulate.

The Games also saw sports facilities in the State being improved tremendously. It was an essential ingredient for sports to grow.

Not only had Sarawak emerge as overall champions, but they did better by continuing with their commitment towards excellence in sports, especially at the youth level.

It cannot be denied that the setting up of the Sarawak State Sports Council under the National Sports Council Malaysia Act 1971, Schedule ll (amendments) 1979 which was officially established on October 10th 1985 by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, was what set Sarawak sports in motion.

Among the Sarawak athletes who have done the State proud include the likes of Salomon Ismanto, Bujang Taha, Ballang Lasung, Gladys Chai, Albert Blassan, William Yeo and Suhali Yusuf.

Sarawak’s next generation of athletes emerged with the likes of Jong Nyan Chong, Jessica Lau. Lee Chiew Ha, Suhari Salem, Mazlan Wahid, Shafie Ali, Jackson Ting, and Jonathan Lim.

Among the more famous names to emerge in recent times include Watson Nyambek and Sapok Biki.

Watson has the proud record of having broken the national record for the 100m in 10.46 seconds set by Datuk Dr Mani Jegathesan, when he clocked 10.33s, while Sapok did the nation proud by becoming the first Malaysian ever to win a gold medal in boxing at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Without doubt, Sarawak has an abundance of talent. The question is: who has the task of spotting these talents and nurturing them into international athletes.

Sarawak is certainly not sitting around doing nothing and hoping for talent to emerge.

They have always given sports priority and work hard at it with constant updating in systems, strategies, knowledge and improving sports facilities.

Having realised their initial vision to become a sports powerhouse by 2010, they are now embarking on the journey to the next level to become even more prominent by 2020.

The most recent effort is the appointment of the Australian Business Centre (ABC) as consultants for the State’s Sports Development Master Plan Study in their efforts to become a national and regional sports powerhouse by 2020.

The project involves formulating a comprehensive long-term strategic plan for the State immediately running up to 2020.

More importantly, the State has realised that the move to the next level requires a professional setup and management.

The development programme will involve 40 sports associations and that is a huge task at hand.

It will be two prong-attack where besides strengthening the potential high performance sports and looking into proper management, maintenance, promotion and marketing of all existing Stadias and sporting facilities, the future is given equal emphasis with greater grassroots programes and participation, especially at schools.

Private sectors and non-governmental bodies will also be roped in for the State agenda and their involvement, especially in sponsorships will play a key role in the extent of the success of this vision.

Already sports like tenpin bowling and soccer have good programmes in place.

While a national training centre has been set up here for ten-pin bowling, with former national bowler, Jackson Ting in-charge, the Sarawak Football Association, have recently launched a long-term development programme involving schools.

Soccer also has former soccer coach and manager, Alan Vest, from Australia coming regularly as a part-time technical director, to conduct coaching courses to upgrade the level of coaches and impart the latest knowledge on the game.

Diving will also have a Centre of Excellence in place later this year and this recognition of Sarawak’s prowess in the sport.

In the past, Sarawak in their eagerness to upgrade sports in the State, have made some mistakes in engaging the wrong people, but they are certainly wiser and moving in the right direction now.

Other states had better watch out for Sarawak. It is already making an impact at national level in various sports.

The underlying factor in Sarawak’s success story is that they always have long-term plans and have more often than not, got the right people to chart their upward trend.

Sarawak certainly has the right attitude for sports and their persistence to excel, will certainly be seeing many more athletes from the Land of the Hornbills soar to greater heights and do the State and nation proud.

Keep up the good work, Sarawak. Then you will definitely be an example for many states to emulate!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

RM1.5 Million For State Football Devt Programme

BY NORNI MAHADI, Easterntimes

MIRI:Sarawak Government has allocated some RM1.5 million towards the successful implementation of State Level Five-Year Football Development Programme.

Assistant Minister for Sports, Datuk Lee Kim Shin said such allocation has proven the government seriousness to develop the State sport industry in line with the effort to make Sarawak the sports powerhouse.

“A total of 600 participants from 30 selected secondary school sport development centres are taking part in the programme. The participants are divided into Under 15 and 17 years old,” he said when officiating at State Level five-year Football Development Programme at Dynasty Hotel, here, last Saturday night.

Datuk Lee, who is also the Chief-De-Mission Sarawak Contingent SUKMA XIII 2010, pointed out that the development programme is timely as Sarawak’s performance in the sport is worsening.

Lee added that under the programme, three regional development centres are being set up - one each in Kuching, Mukah and Miri.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Expectations run high for Crocs

by Simon Ingka Crown 
TheBorneoPost

S’wak sweat on Fadly, Shahrol fitness ahead of MP Muar clash

KUCHING: Sarawak skipper Mohd Fadly Kassim and winger Mohd Shahrol Saperi are still doubtful for the away Premier League match against clubside Johor MP Muar today.
Coach Mohd Zaki Sheikh Ahmad said both players may not regain their fitness in time to make the final eleven after picking up injuries in the recent FA Cup ties against Penang. 
Shahrol received a knock in the first leg at Batu Kawan, Penang, while Fadly was forced to retire with shoulder pain in the second leg at home.

“They will be travelling with the team to Johor but I’m still undecided whether or not to field them. 
Both are continuing their training and I hope to have good news regarding their fitness before the game,” the coach said yesterday. 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

30 Coaches To Benefit From Vest’s Course

KUCHING: A total of 30 coaches will benefit from the higher level of coaching course to be conducted by Englishman coach Alan Vest in Miri from Feb 10-13.

He’s here as a part-time technical director helping us to set up, plan and implement a five-year development programme.

“At the moment, under our development project we have 30 coaches where Vest will go to the ground to give the coaches a refresher course and work with them so that they will be upgraded to a higher level in the field of coaching,” the co-ordinator of the project, Lucas Kalang Laeng said.

“On other days he will also be working with the State SUKMA team and his trip here is a follow-up of last year’s visit where he did a coaching course for coaches.”

“This is part two of a series of his work with us to develop football,” said Kalang of the former State coach who will conduct the course at the Miri Stadium which will be divided into various sessions starting from 8am.
He added that three full-time coaches - Sulaiman Mustanir, Jamal Waslie and Pengiran Bala - had been appointed to look after the development efforts at the regional centres of Kuching, Sibu and Miri respectively.

I Want To Give Back The ‘Magical Moments’: Vest

BY MARTIN YEE TheBorneoPost 

KUCHING: Sarawak’s former legendary coach Alan Vest is back but this time he wanted to give back the “magical moments” he enjoyed in Sarawak for almost a decade.

Here on a second visit the invitation of the State Ministry to run a course for teachers in Kuching and Miri from Feb 10-13, Vest said he felt obliged to come back as the current football in the State is in a sad state. 

Also the greatest pull was that he had fond memories of Sarawak - having worked here from 1991 to 1998 where he brought Sarawak to the pinnacle of success - winning the League title in 1997.

“All I’m interested is if I can give anything back after some magical moments here I will try to give in anyway I can.

“In fact it would be time to move on after my stint here for when I was here, I was offered the Singapore national team job in 1993, the coaching development job of Australia, New Zealand also was interested in my services in 1995 or 1996.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sports school plan very much alive

by Simon Ingka Crown
TheBorneoPost

State government not sitting back and doing nothing, will study proposal thoroughly before taking next step

KUCHING: The proposal to build sports schools based on the Bukit Jalil and Bandar Penawar concept may not materialise any time soon but the state government is not sitting back and doing nothing about it either.

Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom assured that there would be a thorough relook at the proposal before any decision was made.

“We will review the performances of all the sports. If they warrant the building of sports schools, then the state government will take the appropriate action.

“Of course, if there is proof that a particular sport in the state can produce Olympians, we’ll certainly take a note of it.

Sports science cannot be ignored - A vital ingredient for sports development in Sarawak

by Simon Ingka Crown & Perry Ragam
February 3, 2010, Wednesday
TheBorneoPost

KUCHING:Sports science is a key ingredient for sports development in the state.

It would greatly benefit both junior and elite programmes alike, according to Jim Ferguson, a senior consultant from Australia for Sarawak’s Sports Development Master Plan Study to the year 2020.

He said although the public might have heard of sports science, they might not know what it really was.
“So it’s our duty to let them know the basics to help them gain more sports knowledge.”

Ferguson said a sports science approach would not only be of immense help to athletes in pursuing excellence in their disciplines but the subject could also be taught as an additional syllabus in schools and colleges.

According to him, his first task was to look into the present system — its strengths and weaknesses — and make recommendations for further improvement.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Sarawak Appoints Australian Business Centre As Sports Consultant

BERNAMA February 01, 2010 17:17 PM

KUCHING, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- Sarawak has appointed Australian Business Centre (ABC) as the consultant for the state's Sports Development Master Plan Study in efforts to become a national and regional sports powerhouse by 2020, Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk Seri William Mawan said Monday.

He said the ABC team, which was appointed after a due process of tender and reviews, consisted of both renowned international and local expertise in sports development study.

"It would be bold to predict how sports in Sarawak would fare in the year 2020 but we can be sure that it will be at its best when the plan that we are planning now will bear the result because the key stakeholders, representing over 40 sports associations, have responded promptly to an initial effort to audit the current sports situation in the state," he said when officiating at a workshop on the study, organised by ABC in collaboration with his ministry.

He said the overall objective of the project was to formulate a comprehensive long-term strategic plan for the state, beginning this year up to 2020, as well as a suitable action plan for immediate implementation, including providing input for the establishment of the new Sarawak Sports Corporation.

It will also identify the existing strengths and potentials of high performance sports in Sarawak besides proposing the standard guidelines for maintenance, management, promotion and marketing of all existing stadium and sports facilities as well as encourage greater grassroots participation, especially of school children.

Poor finishing lets down Sarawak

by Ting Tieng Hee,theborneopost

KUCHING: A first-half double by Armed Forces striker V. Saravanan and another goal by Muhd Syafiq Abd Samad in the second handed Sarawak their first home defeat in the Malaysian Premier League this season.

Played at Sarawak Stadium in front of a 3,000-odd crowd, Sarawak started promisingly in the first 30 minutes but the shots at Armed Forces’ goal were always off the target.

Saravanan struck in the 36th and 42nd minutes to give the visitors a 2-0 lead while Syafiq wrapped up all three points for his team with a goal in the 86th minute.

The home supporters vented their frustration and anger at their team’s inability to score by cheering the visitors each time they went ahead.

Sarawak coach Mohamad Zaki Shaikh Ahmad, speaking to the media after the match, said although Sarawak created a lot of chances, the forwards were unable to convert any of them.


Sarawak kuasa sukan negara 2020

KUCHING 1 Feb. - Sarawak berhasrat untuk menjadi kuasa sukan negara menjelang 2020, kata Menteri Pembangunan Sosial dan Urbanisasi negeri, Datuk Seri William Mawan Ikom.

Beliau berkata, rancangan 10 tahun itu akan dicapai menerusi pelaksanaan Kajian Pelan Induk Pembangunan Sukan Sarawak 2020 yang dimulakan pada Januari lalu.

Menurutnya, ketika ini, kajian pelan induk itu dilaksanakan oleh Australian Business Centre (ABC) yang terkenal dalam kajian pembangunan sukan di peringkat antarabangsa.

"Secara keseluruhan, kajian itu akan merumuskan satu pelan pembangunan sukan bagi jangka panjang yang komprehensif dan strategik untuk Sarawak.

"Dan tempoh kajian pelan itu akan memakan masa selama lapan bulan sebelum laporan tersebut dihantar kepada kementerian untuk diteliti," katanya di sini hari ini.

Sarawak Shot Down By Army

BY JEREMY VENO, easterntimes

KUCHING: Excuses are getting obsolete, echoed fans after the final whistle of a horrendous performance by the State team when they were thrashed 3-0 by ATM at the Sarawak Stadium, here, on Friday night.

Sounds of frustrations can be heard as spectators left the stadium, each vowing under their breathe not to return to watch the next match to avoid disappointment.

Recording their third loss after five matches, Sarawak now sit second bottom of the 13-team table with two points - a far cry from the maximum 15 points that the team can get.

It is high time for the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) to take a step back and avoid making “creative” excuses on the team’s dismal performance as the unavoidable bitter pill needs to be swallowed.

The meagre points through the goalless opening match against PDRM and the 1-1 draw against Selangor PKNS are nothing to shout about as the team only scored two goals and conceded nine. They lost 1-4 to KL Felda United and 1-2 to Harimau Muda.