Volleyball in Sarawak: Finding a Home
SIBU: The official opening of the RM10 million Sibu Volleyball Indoor Stadium at Rejang Park on July 11 capped another milestone in the annals of the Sarawak Volleyball Association (Sava) and Sibu Volleyball Association (SVA).
It was a mission accomplished as Sarawak volleyball finally has a special place to call home.
The nation’s first volleyball stadium has a seating capacity of 3,000.
The privately owned stadium comprised a four-storey administrative block (with the association office), a gym, a canteen and two volleyball courts furnished with high-tech rubberised flooring.
“Such has been our successful story and honestly, we owed that to all the people who have helped in one way or another to help Sava realised the ultimate dream of owning a superb place called home,” SVA president Dr Willliam Ting Wei Ung said.
Ting was among those who pushed hard to turn the dream into reality.
“It only came through our aggressive work, perseverance and, on top of that, the years of negotiation with the relevant authorities through close cooperation and collaboration.”
Located right smack in Rejang Park, the stadium had directly helped boosted the business in the area.
Initially, when the idea was first conceived, it raised quite a storm with the local residents voicing their dissatisfaction over the site of the building which they considered as not a smart choice.
Ting believed that a sport without its own stadium would not have the chance to upgrade and develop.
“Tell me which sports that do not have its own stadium can flourish in this modern world?,” he asked.
“And with a stadium, there will be a management team, a good coaching board and only then we can get the good and committed players who are willing to play a good game. All these are interrelated and inter-dependent.”
Ting also expressed his gratitude to SMC for providing the land to build the stadium.
Opening the stadium, Minister of Youth, Sports and Solidarity Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong said Sarawak is extremely proud to have the state-of-the-art facility which is the first of its kind in the country.
He called on the private sector and multi-national companies to emulate Sava and help build more sports infrastructure in the state to ensure that Sarawak will remain as a powerhouse in volleyball and other sports. The beginning Sibu, Ting said, was the cradle of volleyball in Sarawak.
Sava came into being in 1965 and its first president was the late Tan Sri Ling Beng Siew who was assisted by the late Datuk Ting Ming Hoi as Chairman. Datuk Ting Ing Mien was secretary.
Prior to 1965, volleyball was already well promoted in Sibu and the surrounding region.
In 1924, two migrant teachers from Fuzhou Province in China - Tiong Ee and Lee Loong - took the game to Kwong Hua School, about 30 minutes by boat downstream of Sibu town.
They also took up the task of coaching the students in volleyball.
A tournament started after a 3year challenge trophy was donated in 1935.
This attracted participation from nearby villagers, town residents and government departments.
The team of ex-students of Kwong Hua and a team from Kanowit shared the championship honours in the first four years of competition.
Gradually, volleyball spread to Kuching, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Miri and other towns following the foot prints of Sibu Foochows as they migrated outward from the central region to the other parts of Sarawak.
Today, Sava has active affiliates including in Kuching, Meradong, Sibu, Sri Aman, Miri, Mukah, Limbang, Bintulu and Sarikei.
Volleyball players did not have a proper place to play the game in earlier times.
“Players were like nomads and had to shuttle from places to places,” Ting recalled, adding that there were few competitions.
In the 1960s, the game was concentrated at the SBC centre in Sibu (the existing Wisma Sanyan) before the venue was shifted to the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex at Island Road (the existing Chuan Corridor, opposite Rejang Port Authority).
The SBC centre was crowded whenever there was a competition, be it volleyball, basketball, singing or boxing.
On July 29, 2001, a new stadium - the Bukit Lima Indoor Stadium - was opened by Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh and it became the centre to stage indoor sporting events like volleyball, basketball, taekwondo and wushu.
Adjacent to the stadium was the fenced-up beach volleyball court.
That court, however, was situated on a sinking land and over time it was abandoned.
Eventually, volleyball matches at the Bukit Lima Indoor Stadium also came to an end as the stadium was described as unfavorable due to the hard court surface and other logistical factors.
Volleyball matches reverted back to Rejang Park or other private courts while some were staged in schools.
A clarion call for a volleyball stadium
In early 1997, SVA - under the leadership of then president Datuk Hii Yu Ho and chairman Dr Gregory Hii Sui Cheng - got Sibu Municipal Council to allot a piece of land at Rejang Park to stage volleyball matches.
SVA worked hard to transform it into a cement court with a gated entry surrounded by iron mesh fencing.
Built at a cost of about RM70,000, the open-air court was commissioned in 2000 by the then SMC chairman Kong Sien Han and it spurred the development of volleyball.
“It was actually the first time that SVA have a volleyball court of its own,” Ting said.
But it was only an outdoor open-air court and matches could only be staged when the weather is good. The facilities were also not up to the best standards.
In 2004, the late Ling Chew Kwong, Dato Moh Wung Ming and Ting consulted SMC chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King for permission to transform the open-air court into a roofed-
Such has been our successful story and honestly, we owed that to all the people who have helped in one way or another to help Sava realised the ultimate dream of owning a superb place called home. — Dr Willliam Ting Wei Ung, SVA president
court.
They finally got the green light to go ahead to build the Rejang Park Volleyball Court at a cost of RM250,000.
On March 29, 2006, SVA signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SMC, witnessed by the then Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh for the proposal to come up with the roofed court and also the iconic RM10 million Sibu Volleyball Indoor Stadium.
After the signing, SVA members embarked on the long difficult task to look for funds and sponsorships for the project to take off.
However, due to lack of funds, they could only proceed with construction of the roofed Rejang Park Volleyball Court.
When completed in 2007, it became the venue to host all the Sarawak Open matches and other national or international exhibition matches.
Not satisfied with the Rejang Park Court, the SVA members continued to pursue their dream of the Sibu Volleyball Indoor Stadium.
In 2010, Prudential Assurance Malaysia Bhd (PAM) came into the picture when it pledged RM3 million towards the cost for the stadium
“That effectively started the ball rolling and with the donations and contributions pouring in from the sponsors and donors, that give us the courage to go ahead with the project,” Ting revealed.
On June 15, 2012, Wong conducted the earth breaking ceremony for the project and speaking during the ceremony, he pledged RM100,000 (20,000 per year since 2011) as an incentive award scheme for volley players.
At the same time, he also pledged an annual grant of RM20,000, for five years. The rest was history. A place to call home Ting also disclosed that SVA plans to host bigger volleyball tournaments to generate more interest in the game.
“We are looking at the possibility of inviting teams from the Asian countries to come here to offer mouth-watering matches that will keep the local fans in full thrill and excitement.”
Apart from hosting tournaments of national and international calibre, Ting said the stadium could also be used as a major training ground for the local volleyball enthusiasts to hone their skills.
“Sarawak is reputed for producing volleyball champions and we need to reciprocate that by offering them bigger matches and getting bigger players to come here to showcase their skills.”
Ting said SVA still owed the contractors and the materials suppliers a debt of about RM2 million.
“Hopefully, the people will contribute generously towards our coffer and help settle the debts.”
With the stadium, Ting said the players could now look forward to play and train in an upgraded environment equivalent to what the players in countries like United States of America, Japan and other European countries were enjoying.
He said that was the only way forward so as to ensure that the standard of the volleyball in the state would be sustained for more generations to come.
Ting said the building symbolised many things especially that the SVA could work closely with the government and SMC to develop the sport.
“Don’t ask what the country will give you, but ask what you can give to the country. Let us come together to help build a greater name for volleyball not only in the country but also in the international arena.”
This is the first of a three-part series on the development of volleyball in Sarawak.