Sabah Sports Awards to be staged at Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort this Feb 6

KOTA KINABALU (Jan 27): The Sabah Sports Awards 2023-2024 is set to be staged at the Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort here this Feb 6.

This was stated by Minister of Youth Development, Sports Advancement and Creative Economy (MYSpaCE) Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan during a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor at Menara Kinabalu on Monday.

The visit by the organising committee meant to brief Hajiji on the prestigious biennial event, as well as to extend the official invitation.

According to Nizam, 16 award categories are featured in this edition – all aimed at recognising the outstanding achievements of Sabah athletes who have brought honour to the state at both national and international levels.

“There will also be the presentation of the Sports Laureate Award,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Hajiji congratulated and expressed his appreciation to Sabah athletes who repre-sented the country at the 13th Asean Para Games (APG) in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, which ran from Jan 21 to 26.

The state athletes contributed 10 gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze medals to the national tally.

“Such achievement demonstrates the ability of Sabah athletes to compete on the international stage, and it also serves as a source of inspiration for the younger generation in sports,” said Hajiji.

At the APG, Sabah athletes secured five gold, seven silver and three bronze medals in athletics; five gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals in swimming; one bronze medal in powerlifting; two bronze medals in table tennis; as well as one silver and one bronze medal in lawn bowls, which were held as a demonstration sport.

Two athletes from Tuaran, Abdul Halim Mohammad and Ivan Jovic Suan, gained much atten-tion after winning five and three gold medals, respectively, from swimming and athletics, re-spectively.

Another highlight was Sabah para-athlete Wong Kar Gee, who not only won the Men’s T12 long jump event, but also set a new APG record with a leap of 6.83m.

Assistant Minister Datuk Seri Dr Anil Sandhu and MYSpaCE permanent secretary Datuk Mansur Asun; Sabah Sports Board chairman Syed Ahmad Syed Abas and its general manager Terrance Edward Pudin; as well as Sabah Sports Council director Mohd Asneh Mohd Noor, were also present.