Sports
Borneo's Annual Sikh Games
LESTER MEKAN BAHA
Host Kuching emerged victorious in the recent 4th Borneo Sikh Games after having edged teams from Sabah, Labuan and Brunei.
[Kuching is a town located on the island of Borneo, which sits just north of Java, Indonesia. Its territory is split betwen three countries: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.]
The Kuching side stamped their mark in the Bowling, Hockey and Badminton games while Sabah won Futsal and Volleyball.
Labuan and Brunei were announced as joint winner in the Tug-of-war.
Former state hockey great, 63 year-old Mohinder Singh Boparai was Kuching’s captain and helped beat Miri 2-1 in final shoot out held at Sarawak Hockey Stadium after both teams drew 1-1 after full time.
According to Sarawak Sikh Gurdwara Association president, Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira-Sarbjit, the sports meet is aimed to foster cordial relations among the Sikh community in this region.
“We hope that with these games, the different Sikh communities will get to know each other, form friendships and thus creating solidarity. It is a fact that even though we are all from the same region, many of our youths do not know each other,” he said on the activities which enable its youths to have good interaction.
Kalwinder Singh said winning or losing is not important because the ultimate aim of the games is promote good sportsmanship and solidarity.
Meanwhile Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Fadillah Yusuf, who officiated the opening ceremony handed over a contribution of RM10,000 to the organising of the games.
Fadillah said members of the community regardless of their background, faith and ethnicities should be encouraged to take part in healthy activities which can promote harmony and unity within the state.
He commended the organising community members for organising the exciting event for the Sikh communities of Kuching, Miri, Brunei, Labuan and Kota Kinabalu.