KUCHING: Sarawak is prepared to host more international sports events given its facilities and experience in holding regional and global-level events, says Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The state Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister said the state aims to boost sports development and attract visitor arrivals, with events such as the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup, which is co-hosted in Kuching from Jan 18 to 28.
Next year, the state will host the International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Youth Bowling Championships at Megalanes Sarawak here and co-host the SEA Games in 2027.
"We are embarking on bigger things by hosting these international events.
"There will be more Asian and world-level tournaments that we will bid for to bring to our shores.
"We don't want to be 'jaguh kampung', only hosting local events. We want to look further than that," Abdul Karim said on Friday (Jan 24).
He was speaking at a press conference to announce the Sarawak Hornbill Team Cup bowling tournament, which will take place at Megalanes Sarawak on Feb 11-16.
Abdul Karim said the IBF World Youth Championships would bring global recognition to Sarawak as a world-class venue for bowling.
He said it would also provide opportunities for local bowlers to improve and compete on the international stage, in line with Sarawak's aspiration to be a sports powerhouse.
At the same time, he said such events would bring in more visitors to Sarawak and boost the hospitality industry.
"The spin-off is tremendous. This year we are targeting five million arrivals and I am confident we can achieve it with many events planned throughout the year, whether sports, music, food, culture or conferences," he said.
