LABUAN: The Sarawak contingent is fully prepared to face the 21st Para Malaysia Games (Para SUKMA XXI) Sarawak 2024 which will take place from September 22 to 28.

Sarawak Deputy Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development who is also Head of the Sarawak Contingent, Datuk Mohamad Razi Sitam said as the host, Sarawak sets a target of 83 gold medals to win in order to wrest the championship back from Sabah.

"We hope that all our athletes will take advantage of this opportunity as host for the Para SUKMA XXI.

"All our athletes need to show high sportsmanship and take care of their health for us to reach the target of 83 gold medals.

"The important thing is that we want to reclaim the championship that we have held 13 times in a row," he said when interviewed by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) while leading a delegation of the Sarawak contingent to invite the Federal Territory of Labuan Contingent to join the Para SUKMA XXI at Tiara Labuan Hotel, on Monday .

According to him, the Para SUKMA Sarawak contingent will place high hopes in athletics, swimming and tenpin bowling events to contribute many gold medals this time while also targeting other sports for medals.

To strengthen the athletes' preparation, Sarawak also sent its boccia athletes to train in Taiwan while lawn bowl athletes are training in Johor Bahru.

He added, all the athletes will do centralised training from August 1 in Kuching to strengthen the preparations before the start of the actual games next month.

"We are still continuing the training of our athletes and so far they are training five days a week," he said.

Also present were Permanent Secretary to the Sarawak Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datu Felicia Tan Ya Hua, Director of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department, Semawi Mohamad, Director of the Labuan Youth and Sports Department, Mahanum Fauzi, and other distinguished guests.

Earlier, Mahanum gave a briefing on the preparation of the Labuan WP contingent to the Sarawak delegation. -UKASnews