‘One child, one sport’ to tap into wider talent pool
KUCHING: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports is aiming to achieve a ‘one child, one sport’ target to reach out to a larger pool of talents.
In the modern sports industry, sports comes in several forms and is not confined to only those with physical prowess, said Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Snowdan Lawan
He added that even electronic games (e- games) are now recognised as an official sporting event which offers wider sporting options for the younger generation.
“No matter what type of sports, we hope to reach this target to prepare our state to have a large and steady pool of reserve athletes,” Snowdan said during the launch of the Nanyang Wushu Kung-Fu Festival at Crown Towers yesterday.
This, he added, will auger well for the selection process for Sukma which will in turn select athletes fortheSEAGames,Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games at the international stage.
The government constantly yearns to produce world- class athletes which requires dedication from the athletes themselves and their coaching staff, he said.
“We have a lot of potential in our young athletes who need to be groomed by quality coaches,” Snowdan highlighted, adding that these are the areas which will be
No matter what type of sports, we hope to reach this target to prepare our state to have a large and steady pool of reserve athletes.
emphasised by the ministry.
He also called upon each sport association in Sarawak to work together with the ministry on approaches on how to improve the sporting industry in Sarawak.
Among the vital input the ministry needs is the technical aspects of the sport which should come from either the chairman or president of each sport association, he said.
On another note, Snowdan also commended the Nanyang Wushu Federation of Sarawak which has about 800 members today.
The festival which includes the Kung-Fu Championship 2017 competition is to enable the federation to select their exponents to compete in national or international events.
“I am also glad to note that Wushu has also caught the interests of Bumiputera exponents,” said Snowdan who is also Balai Ringin assemblyman.
Also speaking was federation chairman Dato’ Sri Dr Song Swee Hee who said the festival is to promote and preserve the traditional art of Wushu for the future generation.
He added that traditional Wushu has proven to be beneficial to the youth’s physical and mental development.
“Practising traditional Wushu will help a young person to improve his or her physical health and skills such as marked improvements to their flexibility, strength and coordination,” Song said.
He added that Wushu would also help a person to learn self-discipline and determination leading to improved self confidence.
Snowdan Lawan, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports