Athlete welfare, education key to Sarawak’s sports development

ATHLETE welfare, education and career development will remain key priorities in Sarawak’s sports development efforts, alongside the pursuit of competitive excellence.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the government recognised that an athlete’s success should not be measured solely by sporting performance, but also by their well-being, education and future employment prospects.

“The government also recognises that an athlete is not defined solely by his or her sporting performance. Athlete welfare, education, career development and future employability are equally important,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.

He added that the government would continue to adopt a more holistic approach to athletic development, ensuring that sporting performance was supported by education, welfare, career planning and personal development.

“This will help us retain talented athletes within the sporting system for a longer period and provide them with greater confidence to pursue high-performance sports,” he added.

Among the initiatives is collaboration with higher learning institutions and technical colleges to provide athletes with opportunities to pursue further education and acquire technical skills.

The institutions involved include the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS), Kolej Laila Taib (KLT) and Politeknik Mukah.

Through these efforts, he said athletes will be better supported in balancing their sporting commitments with academic advancement and future career aspirations.