Over 350 for East Malaysia Schools Taekwondo Championship
SIBU: More than 350 exponents are taking part in the 5th East Malaysia Zone interSchool Taekwondo (MTA) Championship which opened at SMK Sacred Heart Centenary Hall yesterday.
Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh highlighted the importance of physical health during the opening ceremony.
“A healthy body gives you a healthy mind and all of you have chosen the right sport in taekwondo,” he said.
Also present were Malaysia Taekwondo Association (MTA) first vice president Peter Kang, secretary-general Eddy Tuan and Sarawak Taekwondo Federation chairman Dr Henry Toh.
The two-day tournament features taekwondo sparring, krougi, poomsae and hamadang events.
Eight schools from Penang and one school from Kedah also sent players to take part in the championship.
Wong reminded the exponents to train themselves physically and in the process, the sport will help instil a great sense of discipline and responsibilities into their mind.
“A healthy mind will give you all the benefits in your thinking and can help you to improve yourself academically and scholastically so as to achieve success in life, face all the challenges, the strains and the stresses when you leave schools.”
Wong was impressed with the large number of participants.
“To be able to organise the championship on such a large scale, surely it requires lots of human resources, manpower and financial help.”
Wong heaped praises on Toh for his leadership of the taekwondo movement in Sarawak.
“As far as I know, he has devoted almost his entire life to promote taekwondo movement. I have never seen a person who is so committed and who has so much passion for the sport.
He is over 70 years old today and is still very active in promoting taekwondo.
“I don’t think we have any other person who has so much drive to promote one single sport and that is the sport he loves,’ Wong said to loud applause.