Karim looks to positive spinoffs from Kilat Boy’s victory
Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah is hoping that Kilat Boy’s victory on home soil will further spur the interest of youths in Sarawak in boxing.
“This is a joyous moment for Sarawak and Malaysia because this is the first time that Malaysia won this title through our Anak Sarawak.
“Following the victory, l hope that more people in Sarawak will be interested in boxing. We know there are many boxing fans out there but we need icons and champions to further promote the sport,” he told reporters after wiatching the match at Stadium Perpaduan on Saturday night.
The minister pledged that the government will strive to help develop boxing by supporting Sarawak Amateur Boxing Association (Saba) to organise boxing competitions at the regional, Asia or World levels especially if it involves boxers from Malaysia.
“This will not only further promote boxing but also sports tourism in Sarawak.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, also hailed the response of the fans and supporters to the event.
“We can see that there are supporters from Kuching to Miri and l am hoping to see that kind of support for our athletes at all the competition venues when we host Sukma XXI in August.
“I am also very happy to see that our other athlete who had made his name in muaythai Jojo (Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar) is also here to give his support to Kilat Boy during the fight. We can see that boxing and muaythai have been picking up in Sarawak and this will definitely develop interest in these two sports,” he added.
Meanwhile, Saba president Dato Rahman Lariwoo was grateful for the support received so that the association was able to organise the WBC Asia Boxing Championships.
“With the support from the ministry, we will strive to organise the championships on a bigger scale next year,” he said.
Also present was MYSED deputy minister Dato Gerald Rentap Jabu and Sarawak Sports Corporation CEO Awang Putrayusrie Awang Redzuan.