PETALING JAYA: Former national rhythmic gymnast Sarina Sundara Rajah has ambitious and visionary plans for young girls in sports.
Yesterday her plans got off to a rousing start with the launching of the Piala Puteri Championships at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil.
Sarina, the founder of Sarina Rhythmic Gymnastics Club (SRGC) and Safe Sports Act, has taken the initiative to organise the championships with the aim of empowering young girls through the sport of rhythmic gymnastics.
The tournament is scheduled to take place at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil from Dec 12-17 and will feature participants as young as five years old.
Ahead of the championships, master class workshops and empowerment programmes for girls will be conducted across Malaysia.
Sarina believes that the championships will be the perfect platform for young girls to showcase their talent and gain experience.
And she is hoping to make it an annual event.
“For us, rhythmic gymnastics is more than just a type of sports,” said Sarina.
“It allows the girls to gain other values to enable them to contribute to society.
“The Piala Puteri Championships aspire to provide amateur gymnasts with a consistent platform and opportunity to compete and showcase their talent.
“A series of workshops and empowerment programmes will be organised before the competition to inculcate interest and to encourage girls to take part in the Piala Puteri event.”
The first two-day workshop starting today will be conducted by former rhythmic gymnastic world champion Tamara Yerofeyeva of Ukraine.
She joined Niloy Banerjee, the resident representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, to give a power talk after the launching ceremony yesterday.
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